Recent content by Gerry Weiler

The various label adhesives used seem to vary and soaking doesn't often work that well. I find the quickest way to remove the label is with a razor blade scraper. hold the bottle from the neck and push down and away from your hand. This doesn't remove the glue and I then use acetone on a...

Thanks for the good article. It appears that I'm on the right track for suppressing of the pH gain and it appears that cold stabilization can increase calcium tartrate precipitation. It is the the calcium L-tartrate instability that concerns me and I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done...

I haven't been able to find a publication that specifically indicated a pH shift due to CaCO3 is less, but it does seem to be that way, particularly when using Acidex. Precipitation can be a problem as you suggested, but with most of my red wines, several months is not a problem. But I have...

I have very much appreciated your comments on this subject. And I agree that the most important parameter is in the "taste". I read somewhere that there is something called "Index of Acidity, IA" or "Acid Taste Index". This is simply the TA(g/l) minus the pH. The desired range should be 3.2...

The ML started off well with the wine at an elevated temperature. I then moved it all (250 liters) into a tank, but this was kept in a room where the temperature is only 15C (59F). My last chromatography indicated that the ML was only partially completed, but I became concerned about potential...

Thanks for the quick response. I have a Sangiovese from a Yakima vineyard that had an initial pH of 3.41 and TA of 7.0. It was picked a little early with a BRIX of 23, but I prefer the lower alcohol levels for this wine. After fermentation and 4 weeks of ML, the PH was 3.45 and the TA is...

Is there a way to reduce the TA by 2.0g/l without getting a big increase in pH? I typically use KHCO3 for the initial TA reduction but the pH shoots way up. Adding tartaric acid will reduce the pH back to something acceptable, but the TA increases to something very close to the original level...