I started my 3rd batch of wine last night. I just remembered that I forgot to take a pH reading and adjust if neccesary. Will it be too late to take a reading and adjust tonight after work if it needs it?
I made the yeast starter last night and let it sit approx. 10 hrs. then pitched it into 3 gals of must this morning. It seems it might take a while for the yeast to get going, but Im not sure when its too late to fiddle with it. TIA
I guess a little info on the batch might be good.
3 cans Niagara Welches 100% 3 cans Concord Welches 100% 3.25 lbs. sugar approx. starting gravity about 1.097 6 tsp. Acid Blend 2tsp. Pectic Enzyme 2ts. Yeast Nutrient water to 3 gals. 1 sachet of Lalvin 1112 - The starter was quite active when pitched..TIA
Nope. Adjust away.
Tom S
IF YOU ADD ANYTHING IN, ADD IT SLOWLY OR IT WILL GUSH OUT LIKE A HUGE BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE!!!! TRUST ME ON THIS!!!!
That's a good point, and one I'd forgotten to mention. I saw that happen last year at the winery when someone dumped a 50 pound bag of tartaric into a 5000 gallon tank of fermenting Sauvignon Blanc. WOW, that was exciting! Sounded like a jet taking off at LAX, as hundreds of gallons of foam rushed up through the manway and headed straight for the drains. Wish I had a video of that...
But back to the original point. If the fermentation isn't really under way yet, an addition _probably_ won't be catastrophic. Still, it can't hurt to pull out a liter or two of juice, dissolve the tartaric in that and add that portion back to the fermenter.
Tom S
Crushed 12 cases of Washington State Syrah from the Yakima Valley. Initial ph 3.43. Twelve hours later ph 3.5 wait additional 36 hours for previously chilled grapes to reach 62F. The reading with the same hana meter is 4.0? Is the meter out of calibration? Test, fuss, review notes and then realize this happens every year after the crush. No worries the ph always settles to spec. The (my theory) stems, leaves, bugs, dirt etc contribute to the initial ph increase degrading and soon settle out. Oh I'm sorry is a winemaking thread about ph? Never mind...........
I don't know about your theory; I have my own. My Hanna meter was pretty flaky until I soldered jumper wires in that shunted the contacts between the probe and the electronics. I get much more reliable readings now.
Tom S
Took a reading on the must and it was at 3.27 so I left it alone. From what little I've read this is right in the proper range isnt it?
LOL!!! Sounds like the I LOVE LUCY episode where the foam comes spewing out of the washer or whatever.........
-- "I can't stand water because of the things fish do in it. Once, whilst traversing the Himalayas, we lost our corkscrew, and were compelled to live on food and water... for several days."
-W C Fields-
I'm seeing a lot of posts on ph and I've always been told it is % acid that counts, usually expressed as a percent of tartaric acid, 0.65% being a good place to start. So what gives???
Yeah, that's OK. Gonna be a tart sucker though. 8^*
Tom S
Bob, there has been much discussion here about this very topic. Here's one example:
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