PH Testing

I am thinking about getting a PH tester...some books say it is not important...others say if you are serious about wine making you should have one.....I make kit wines, fruit wines and meads...I am looking for input on the need for a PH tester...using one...and buying one


Thanks For The Help


BERT

Hey bert,


I have never used a pH meter to test my wines either but when I made my first mead this year I bought one. The reason for this was because honey can be unstable unlike grape juice and the pH can drop out of range and cause the fermentation to stop prematurely. In hindsight I have had trouble with a few wine kits not fermenting to dryness and I think it could have been a pH issue.


Here is the link to the one I bought...I have not used it yet but I am sure it will work fine.


[url]http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detai l/iid/834/cid/136[/url]


masta

If you just make kit wines, a pH tester is a nice to have, as Masta pointed out; however, I have never had a fermentation issue with any kit wine, so I do not own a tester.


On the other hand, if you are going to make fruit wine, the pH tester will greatly improve the quality of your wine. As you probably know, balancing your must is the second best thing you can do to make a sound wine (the best thing is starting with the best fruit you can get!). When you balance your wine, you need to adjust the sugar, acid and pH. Most people ignore the pH and focus on the other 2. The only reason I don't carry one is just a lack of room in my store. If you ever come to the store, you will see what I mean.


Anyway, if you have the extra money and you want to make fruit wines, I would recommend you add a pH tester to your arsenal.

As both Masta and George have indicated, if you make only kit wines, a pH tester is not really necessary. The kit manufacturer delivers a balanced product as long as the instructions are followed.


When making wine from fruit, balancing themust is veryimportant and pH is one of the elements in the balance. For example, if malolactic fermentation is desired there is a pH range in which the bacteria are effective. Also, the pH of the must will have an impact on the ability of the wine to age. It will provide more precision in determining the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) needed to protect the wine during bulk aging and at bottling. Higher pH wines require more SO2 than lower pH wines. Now you need to add a SO2 tester to your arsenal.


A pH tester can also be used in determining the acidity of a red or purple must. Instead of observing a color change using phenolphthalein solution, add the sodium hydroxide until the meter reads 8.2.


The pH tester may need to be calibrated before each use depending on how frequently it is used. This will require buffer solution(s) with a limited shelf life. Depending on the type of tester, storage solutions and electrolyte solutions may also be required.


I have made some very good fruit wines without using a pH tester. I cannot say that using a tester has made my wines taste better. I can say that using a tester has given me more knowledge about the balance of my must.

Maybe I am wrong for this, but I use ph info more than acidity in fruit wines. Sometimes I don't even check acidity. I am very lazy.