Adjusting Acidity in 1st Strawberry wine batch

[kartracer088]

After having made 3 WineExpert Kits, I have just started my first non-kit wine. Since it's strawberry season, I started a 3 gallon batch of Strawberry wine. Lot's of strawberry wine recipes out there, and the majority of ones I reviewed recommended an acid level of 0.65%. I don't have a PH meter, but I picked up an acid titratable acid test kit at wineandbeermaking.com in St. Louis last weekend.

I prepared the must from 15 lbs of frozen, then thawed strawberries, crushed and put in a 5 gallon paint strainer. Added the K-meta, 6 lbs of sugar with water to bring volume up to 3 1/2 gallons. Then let it set overnight for the K-meta to work.

Next day checked the S.G. at 1.090, and the Titratable acidity at 0.50%. Most of the recipes recommend 0.65% so I added 3 teaspoons of Acid blend to raise the level to 0.15% to the 0.65%. I mixed it in and also added yeast nutrient, and pectic enzyme. Then waited another 12 hours before pitching the yeast. Fermentation started well a few hours after adding the yeast.

So now 5 days have passed, S.G. is now 1.005 and I racked into a 3 gallon carboy. I checked the acidity and it is now 0.95%.

Why did acidity go so high?

Should I do something to try and bring acidity back down?

Fermentation is still going, I plan on checking it again in a few days.

I didn't add any K-meta at racking because fermentation is still going. Is this correct?

 

[salcoco]

carbon dioxide, an output of fermentation, will dissolve in the must and create carbonic acid, thus the increase in perceived acidity. follow good wine making practices, degass once wine is clear bulk age and the carbonic acid will eventually boil off and your acidity will be within limits.however I find that taste tests are best for final adjustments rather than measurements.

Do not and anything to the fermentation. wait until wine is complete, rack , rack again in three days off of gross lees then add Kmetaa 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons. wait there weeks rack again add kmeta. wait three months wine should be clear, rack again add k meta and decide if you wish to bottle. any sweetening should be considered at this time based on taste tests.

 

[kartracer088]

Thanks for explanation on carbonic acid!

 

[kartracer088]

It's been two more months and I have racked the wine and sweetened with a strawberry syrup I made. I think it is tasting pretty good.

I also rechecked the titratable acidity and it is still 0.95 percent. So it appears the acid did not go down as thought might happen.

 

[Stressbaby]

What is the pH (if you have any way of testing that)?

 

[Scooter68]

Your acidity probably jumped up as the acids in the strawberries were released. Lesson for the future - make changes slowly and when first starting a real fruit based wine, give the fruit some time to break down and release sugars and other contents, like acids. It's that part of making wine with fruit that a lot of us learn the hard way.

Key thing to remember beyond the TA numbers is..... How does it taste to you? Regardless of the test results, if those numbers are in the safe range then the final question is what does that wine taste like. A wine could have perfect pH and TA readings, ferment down perfectly and end up tasting like bilge water or tasteless. That's why humans make the best wine tasters.

 

[kartracer088]

I don't have a pH meter yet, been debating about whether I really need it. I have been measuring TA with a sodium hydroxide test kit.

I back sweetened the wine and bottled it and I think it turned out very good, very strawberry fruity nose and not to sweet. The acidity doesn't seem to much. I am very happy with the result. I wish now I had made more than 3 gallons.

I will take the advise on making the adjustments more slowly. I was thinking the acidity needed to be closer to normal levels at the beginning of the fermentation. Should I be trying to adjust it through the fermentation? I am getting 100lbs of Chambourcin grapes from local vinyard in a couple of days and I would like to get it right from the start.

 

[stickman]

Hopefully you added potassium sorbate before back sweetening and bottling, if not, be careful of exploding bottles.

 

[kartracer088]

You made me go and look back at my notes.....always a good exersize.

I added 1/2 teaspoon of potassium sorbate when I sweetened and then bottled it two weeks later. It's very clear and doesn't taste fizzy, so I think it is OK.

 

[stickman]

Sounds great, I was just checking, as there was no mention of sorbate in the thread above.