Search results

What variety is the wine? I would use Potassium Carbonate instead of Calcium Carbonate especially if it is a white wine as the calcium will cause tartrate instability in your wine.

Glad we can help. As for a great beginner book I recommend Making Good Wine by Dr Bryce Rankine. This book is bought by most wine students where I am from and holds a special place for many winemakers. It has basic information through to the justification of processes and is in easy to read...

Lactic acid metabolism of citric acid is fine, it's acetobacter where the problem lies as this bacteria can convert your citric acid solution into a vinegar solution. I have sourced this information from various lecturers at Adelaide University who study wine microbiology. Yes it is not...

If you live near a wine region many small wineries should be more than happy to run a RS (residual sugar) for you. A rather reliable DIY method is to use a flintiest tablet, these were developed for diabetics to test their sugar levels in urine but works the same for wine. Adelaide university...

The cloudiness is no issue and does not inhibit the SO2’s activity. Barrels where citric acid has been used and not tartaric acid have been shown to have a much higher chance of microbial activity. Of course the chances are slim but citric acid can be metabolised and tartaric acid cannot be...

I'd recommend using tartaric acid instead of citric acid as citric acid can be metabolised and spoil your wine, whereas the tartaric acid will not be.

From my experience topping up is essential in good winemaking. Working in a winery with 110,000 barrels means that barrels are always being topped. As barrels with larger amounts of head space have much higher levels of VA and aldehydes, I have seen this with first hand experience. The greater...

Okay, from that reading you have a reading of 0.1 degrees Baume which is fine for many table wines, however it is not dry and this sugar can cause spoilage if enough sulphur isn't added. It is important to get your wine through Malo first but some sulphur is okay (below 60ppm total). Once...

Okay so if the nutrient is DAP it seems like a sufficient addition, but may require more. Does the packet of the nutrient say what it is? Otherwise reinoculating with some more yeast, or starting a rescue culture can help. Do you have a hydrometer on hand?

Hey Rhys, I can assist you if you need. I have made several million litres of wine in the charmed process for a large Australian company. message me with any questions. Cheers, Ben

There are numerous reasons your ferment has become stuck. I don't believe it would be due to high alcohol but instead due to a lack of yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN). Did you add any DAP or a form of nitrogen to your ferment? this could help deduce the problem of your stuck ferment. Also does...