PH changed...odd

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Siwash

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This is only the second year i've used a proper PH instrument (Vinmetrica) and used tartaric acid to adjust... so I didn't know that PH can go back up after going down following a tartaric adjustment..

It went from 3.83 (initial) to a perfect 3.49 after tartaric addition (yesterday's reading) but now it's back up to 3.62!

Is this normal? I calibrated the instrument again just to make sure nothing changed...

thoughts?
 
Grape must have lots of potassium in them which acts as a buffer so yes not uncommon at all for this to happen. If this is a pre-fermentation adjustment. Stop right there and pitch the yeast.

Oh no, I pitched Sunday...or Saturday.. cant remember.. Anyhow the Brix is approaching 0. Fast ferment.. it's been very warm here (80s)

So what should I do? Test again in a day or 2? then add again?
 
Oh no, I pitched Sunday...or Saturday.. cant remember.. Anyhow the Brix is approaching 0. Fast ferment.. it's been very warm here (80s)

So what should I do? Test again in a day or 2? then add again?

Just let it ride until your wine is finished AF / MLF, you can adjust it after it settles down. Don't get freaked out if you end up with wine in the 3.7's or 3.8's, just manage your sulfite accordingly until you bench test / adjust......
 
You wine is now loaded with CO2 which will skew things as well. You need to sit and relax. Have a glass or two of wine and don't worry about pH until your ready to do MLF. You want as much CO2 out of the wine before you make your next pH test. Pressing knocks out a boatload of it

Oh no, I pitched Sunday...or Saturday.. cant remember.. Anyhow the Brix is approaching 0. Fast ferment.. it's been very warm here (80s)

So what should I do? Test again in a day or 2? then add again?
 
So why does the literature strongly suggest making PH adjustments even before pitching yeast if the numbers are going to be skewed anyway? I guess pre-fermentation must isn't affected by c02?

Thanks guys...
 
You want to adjust upfront so that your acid adjustment gets carried through the fermentation. That is the preferred "gold standard" of making adjustments. Sometimes you have to make an addition and let it sit for a few hours, stir again and make sure you get two readings the same before moving on to pitching the yeast. Sometimes its good to go from the get go first time. If your readings keep dropping you really need to wait it out until the pH settles in. Grape must is a living sea of sorts so you just have to roll with how it reacts to things like acid addition.
 
I was under the impression the numbers are skewed only during AF. But before and after are solid levels. For this reason I stopped taking measurements again at all until the wine was completely done fermenting and racked off gross lees.
 

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