Recent content by Hal Maulden

Lynn, Without performing Paper Chromotography you cannot determine which acid is dominate. And even with that, PC does not give you %, because it is only a qualitative. In most, if not all, cases your wine will contain a mixture of Malic, Latic, Tartaric and possibly Citric. In many test kits...

TNFISHRMAN, When doing acid determination with a pH meter your looking for what is called an "inflection point". This is where your pH change is very dramatic. An example would be. You start with a wine sample that is 3.2, you start adding Sodium Hydroxide drop wise, allowing the pH to...

All, As promised I have completed my study on the SO2 determinations. The test I am about to turn over is VERY accurate. Read this and determine if you would like to dive in. If you have any questions let me know. First off, this is not for everyone. It does cost a little money and...

Earl, I think that most folks would agree that if follow directions, take no shortcuts, and don't cheat, you should have a wine complimentary of the cost of the kit. I think the two reasons why people are not happy with kits are 1. They buy the cheapest kit available and want it to taste...

All, I have now recieved my chemicals for the sulfite titrations and the standardization of the iodine solution. I will work on this as I have time and will post my findings. Hal

One thing I have found out about country wines. I make about 8 different kinds each year. I have found that about a month or two after you stabilize they keep throwing off some sediment. I have seen wines that were bottled, say, 3-4 weeks after Super Kleer and they have sediment in the bottles...

In the secondary: 11 gal blueberry 6 gal blackberry under MLF 3 gal apple under MLF 3 gal strawberry 5 gal grape, I don't know what kind, it was small red 3 gal peach,under MLF 6 gal pear, under MLF 6 gal muscadine, under MLF 3 gal scuppernong, under MLF Iam out of...

Bill, Yes I am doing MLF on all the wines listed on the chromatogram. As MLF nears completion the blot of Malic will lessen and lessen until it is gone. Reversely, the latic blot gets stronger and stronger. I will show the progression after one month within this same post so you can track...

Waldo, I too am a muscadine/scuppernong fan. I have made several batches all with a very severe bite, even after one year in the bottle. So, I started doing some research and found out why. They are very heavy in Malic acid. This year I am added MLF bacteria to soften the Malic by converting...

Bill, I have also done the Oregon Yam Hill County Pinot Noir. I started mine in Feb. '05. Bottled it in June. I popped one of the 375 ml bottles last night. WOW. This is really going to be good. Will try again in May or June. Hal

have now gotten into Paper chromatography to monitor my MLF (malo latic fermentation). I thought that I would post the results of the wines that I have added MLF bacteria to and share my experiences with Paper Chromatography I my wines progress. I bought my kit from PI Wine (www.piwine.com)...

From a Chemist perspective: George is correct that most chemicals, when stored correctly will last for years. That does not mean that they will retain their original potentcy. As an example: I used Iodide to titrate for SO2 levels. This chemical should be standardized at least once per month...

JB, I'm not real familar with Concord, but most grapes have a high level of tartaric acid. You did not mention what type of acid you added (a blend, tartaric, citric, etc.). What I would try before added something to buffer the acid is cold stabilization. There is a very simple test to see if...

Peter, Each procedure, just like any measuring equipment, has a level of error. Lot's of time this error is in the design quality, like a thermometer. Other times, its a combination of many things, including human error. In the case of SO2 it's a combination of: Chemical degradation, inherint...

Martina, My guess is that the CO2 volume from the soda will be displaced to all the liquid once bottled. So, if you used 50% soda, your drink would be 1/2 as flat as started. If you wanted to take the time, you could bubble some CO2 into your wine before the bottling process. Hal