South African Shiraz kit called "Selection"

Sometime back, Gene posted a question about the subject kit. It turns out that I got that very same kit as a gift back at Christmas time. I'm just now getting ready to start it off.

How is your wine coming along, Gene? did you get your S02 question resolved? I found a good article on the subject at

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I am one of the new kids on the block with this wine making hobby. Therefore, my plan is, at least for the moment, to religiously follow the instructions in the kit -- trusting that the pundits who put the kit together gave me all the right stuff for the task. I'm only interested in the specific gravity and total acid for academic reasons at this point.

Reply to
Casey Wilson
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Casey:

My understanding is that standard acid testing does not work with kits. Due to the the way there are made, some of the acidity is 'bound' and cannot be measured (at least taht's the way I remember what was said).

BTW, thats one of the Limited Editions for this year. So far, I don't recall hearing anything about it. You might get some answers asking the question in the kit section at

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Steve

Reply to
Steve

If you're making a kit you really need to be able to measure the specific gravity so a hydrometer is a necessity. The good news is that they are reasonable priced. You should be able to get one for $5.00 or so.

Reply to
Bob Becker

Steve:

That's the case before fermentation. The side effect of fermentation is the acids get released from the binding, so you can measure the correct value after as in wines made from scratch. The main practical danger is in measuring TA at the beginning and adding acid to the kit based on that and overcorrecting as a result.

In general, kits, especially the higher end, should be already balanced by the producer, so there should be no need to add acid. As Casey said, it can be a good idea to measure the acid anw, to match the value against the taste as a learning tool.

Pp

Reply to
pp

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