the_rayway
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I am unfamiliar with PH strips, but I'm sure there are threads under the Tutorials & Reference Guides section (or one similar) in the Forum.
Good luck!
Good luck!
34 pounds of red grapes just showed up on my door!
- Thread starter michjen
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Arne
Senior Member
I have not had a lot of luck with the acid kits. (Think it is just me.) I have been doing this for a while now and do most of my acid testing by tasting it. If it doesn't have a little of the acid bite to it, I add some. If it does, I usually ferment it out and see how it comes out. When done if it has a gite to it, a little pinch of baking soda stirred in will take it out most times. Not very scientific, but it works. Can't really justify an expensive meter for just a few batches a year. Arne.
jswordy
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I wouldn't press first.
Add sugar to 1.080, then let the whole mess ferment on the skins, as they say. Don't press until your primary fermentation is over. Then siphon out your juice and press your juice out from the leftover skins into secondary in a carboy or jugs. Ideally, the carboy needs to be filled to the neck.
BTW, what you want in your must (as they call unfermented juice and grapes) is just the grapes and the juice. Very little or ideally no stems or greenery, which can promote off-flavors.
When you siphon your juice out of the must, it helps to have something like a 4-inch wide piece of PVC pipe with small holes drilled in it or some such device to form a well from which you can siphon the juice.
Add sugar to 1.080, then let the whole mess ferment on the skins, as they say. Don't press until your primary fermentation is over. Then siphon out your juice and press your juice out from the leftover skins into secondary in a carboy or jugs. Ideally, the carboy needs to be filled to the neck.
BTW, what you want in your must (as they call unfermented juice and grapes) is just the grapes and the juice. Very little or ideally no stems or greenery, which can promote off-flavors.
When you siphon your juice out of the must, it helps to have something like a 4-inch wide piece of PVC pipe with small holes drilled in it or some such device to form a well from which you can siphon the juice.
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jswordy
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Are you adding any amendments? Tannin, pectic enzyme, kmeta or nutrients? If you are, those need to go in and then the must should sit for a day before you pitch the yeast.
If you are not adding amendments, you can pitch the yeast now.
I recommend adding at least k meta/Campden tablets and some yeast nutrient, if you have them.
BTW, if you have already pressed and not thrown out the skins, you can add those to a sanitized paint strainer bag from Lowes or Home Depot, and then put the bag in the must. The skins help out a lot. The bag keeps them in one place so they are easy to get out and re-press at the end of fermentation.
If you are not adding amendments, you can pitch the yeast now.
I recommend adding at least k meta/Campden tablets and some yeast nutrient, if you have them.
BTW, if you have already pressed and not thrown out the skins, you can add those to a sanitized paint strainer bag from Lowes or Home Depot, and then put the bag in the must. The skins help out a lot. The bag keeps them in one place so they are easy to get out and re-press at the end of fermentation.
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last year i made myself crazy trying to test brix, acid and ph now i dont bother with the tests anymore. i just crush press and ferment. u dont even need sulfites or yeast just take care to prevent oxidation after the fermentation slows. if u cant fill your carboy i read a trick yestersy in the winemakers handbook from allison crowe: add a layer of oil. traditionally olive oil was used though she suggests using an orderless food grade mineral oil. i imagine grape seed oil would be ok too. the idea is the oil floats to the top creating a blanket of protection.
Bartman
Senior Member
As long as you can wait. The longer it ages, the better it will be, as long as you have adequate sulfites in it (so it doesn't oxidize). I would wait AT LEAST 3 months, if not 6-9 months. I just bottled wine from last year's fresh grapes, so I would have room for this year's juice, which is fermenting as I type. I have great faith in the power of bulk-aging to smooth out any aspects of a wine that are too strong or overly assertive.
