Paper Chromatography Test

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What the heck? I did a test yesterday hoping it mlf would be complete since the last test on Jun 2 showed closed to finished. This test looks as if there is no improvement, in fact the one done 3 weeks ago looks better....After the last test i stopped stirring. I wonder if i should still be stirring? How about more nutrient? Here are the tests from yesterday and Jun 2. Thanks!

Stir every few days, test again in a month.
 
Agree with @Johnd , stir every couple/few days, retest in a few weeks to a month. I had one last summer that wasn't progressing, then realized after reading some posts here that I had failed to stir it up every so often. Within two weeks after I started a regular stirring regiment, it was showing progress, let it go a few more weeks and added my Kmeta.
 
Thanks guys! I do see a lot more of them tiny bubbles since stirring it the other day!
 
Just did a chromotography on my Syrah juice but also my kits. I thought kits were supposed to be balanced but there all showing high malic low lactic. I never read anything except don't do MLF on kits. So what is the real story and is this the kit taste everyone talks about.
 
LOL I think it has something to do with (actual) fermenting on hundreds (and hundreds) of pounds of grape skins IMHO.



OK thanks, got that, so could that be the reason kits don't match up to better commercial wines? Also, is it a flaw in the production process?
 
My mental pros and cons list separating grapes/juice buckets and kits is weighing heavily against kits. I'm sure there are varietals that won't be available so some kits may be necessary. I could be talking out of my butt though since I have yet to taste a finished wine of mine.
 
Kits have a place. Learn the ropes, some people like the wines just fine, others not so much. I moved on after a couple of years to fresh grapes but I still make my whites from the high end or LR Kits. Since they get pressed off right away they come much closer to the real deal IMHO. I usually have to add more acid to crisp them up a bit more to my liking but that is a stylistic thing.
 
Here is my latest test i did yesterday on my Chilean juice from this year. It looks very close to being done , if not done already. I see a very very faint yellow on all the samples. Since this is my first time with mlf im not sure when to know its complete. Should there be NO yellow at all or will it never actually be totally clear? Thanks, please let me know what you think.

image1 (23).JPG
 
You are nearly complete. Let it sit for another 2 weeks or maybe even a month. I don't think you need to test it again, you are near the lower limits of what chromatography can tell you.

Ok. Thanks. Oh, and i forgot to mention that i still see very tiny bubbles at the service rim of the wine and some tiny bubbles still rising up through the wine. However, im thinking it could be from degassing? Also, i just gave the Merlot a taste and pretty good for being this young!
 
Ok. Thanks. Oh, and i forgot to mention that i still see very tiny bubbles at the service rim of the wine and some tiny bubbles still rising up through the wine. However, im thinking it could be from degassing? Also, i just gave the Merlot a taste and pretty good for being this young!

Stir every few days, when the tiny bubbles subside I'd test again, or within a few weeks. I don't get the same amount of tiny bubbles when my wine is degassing verses when MLF is doing it's thing. I think it's a pretty good indicator to watch. The frequency of the blurps through your airlock will also be more frequent as MLF is progressing. When they slow up, I test. If it shows it's done, I wait two weeks. That being said in all honesty upon looking at the image of your latest test I think you will be pretty much done in two weeks, as long as you stir it up a few times in between. I've always had a touch of yellow in the malic area, never had it perfectly clean.
 
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I just finished racking after malo completing. My Carmenere taste pretty good so far but im a little worried about the merlot. I know its early but Its kinda harsh right now..
Im aging now with oak spirals...
 

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