[vinoverde]

I read that when one makes wine from the grapes that the titratable acids, pH, and of course sugar needs to be checked, and possibly modified with additions of acids, sulfites, or sugar, respectively. I have done 4 kits now and checked the parameters of two of them. They are not really what they should be for what I understand to be optimum levels. Does anyone have any experience with making such modifications to the kits?

[ibglowin]

Kits should not need to be touched/adjusted for any reason. If your seeing funny numbers it could be your analysis is off due to the accuracy of the test used, chemicals used (old, out of date, expired) , analytical error via the analyst etc, etc.

Just say no. The only thing that is really handy to test for on a kit is the pH so you know how much Sulfite needs to be added. Thats it!

[vinoverde]

Thanks Marty and Mike, that makes a lot of sense. I did adjust the brix on an earlier batch I made and it seems to have been at least not a bad decision, because the wine tastes good - though it may be still a little early to tell. I did add some tartaric to the last batch I started last week. If I understand what you are saying correctly, I can check the TA again after fermentation. Perhaps then I can know if I totally screwed it up - though I did not add much. It is all a learning process for me as I was previously only a beer brewer. The main reason I started checking the chemistry is because I inherited a large number of vines and I have dreams of making wine later this year with the harvest, so I want some practice in the wine making process before going to the grapes.

[Minnesotamaker]

Another thing to consider with kits is that the vino-chemist would take into account the fruit source and desired outcome when deciding target elements; not all wines would be at equal numbers. You'd expect to have variations between a white and red in things like acid, residual sugar, oak, etc.

[robie]

I agree with the above.

However, as an example, once a kit wine is finished, there is nothing wrong with pouring several samples and adding differing small amount of tartaric acid to each sample to taste. Some people like wine a little more acidic than others, especially if you always are going to drink the wine with food.

You can do the same with oak and tannins, to name just two.

Again, the idea for a finished kit is to adjust by taste, not by what a test kit says.

[Midwest Vintner]

Originally Posted by robie

Again, the idea for a finished kit is to adjust by taste, not by what a test kit says.

Completely agree. Wine should be tested to check to make sure your not out of whack with what you want, but IMO, finish is best left to taste. Also remember, if you want to age the wine, it will mellow, so going a tiny bit over with acidity or less sugar than you'd typically like, will pay dividends in flavor in a few years. Just don't stray too far or let it age for longer. lol

[vinoverde]

Wow, thanks. I didn't realize that one can add acids or tannins. I guess it makes sense, obviously it is done with oak often. Interesting. - More things to try.
Mark

[Midwest Vintner]

Originally Posted by vinoverde

Wow, thanks. I didn't realize that one can add acids or tannins. I guess it makes sense, obviously it is done with oak often. Interesting. - More things to try.
Mark

Yep. Experience helps. Each wine will be different, each person has different tastes, so there really is NO RIGHT answers. It is all based one who is drinking the wine. It is an art and a science, but IMO more of an art because you could make a wine that 99% of people hate, but you might love it. The commercial wineries goals are to make it taste good for popularity, but that doesn't make it a good wine for YOU and that's who matters right? So find out what works for you and people here can give you a guide on what worked for us. That's what makes this forum such a good place. We are all here to make wine tailored to our own tastes, well most of us. *thinking of us home to commercial folks*

[LorenzoCri]

Kits are buffered, so you can't get true acid readings. The only thing I do is just to dilute the kit to 25 brix so it has a better alcohol level.

[vinoverde]

Thanks Lorenzo.
If I am understanding all of this correctly, it sounds like the overall answer is that some people don't adjust anything at all in a kit, some add sugar prior to fermentation if the Brix is low, and some may adjust acids or tannins after fermentation to taste.