Aging in Carboy vs bottling

[thesnow]

I'm measuring with digital scale

OK, I will not go with a acid blend.
I'm starting to wonder to just leave it alone.

 

[thesnow]

Curious, why Tartaric acid?

 

[thesnow]

I will filter the wine over to another carboy, and tomorrow I will taste it , and test it again
Thanks you guys a great thanks for helping me out

 

[BobF]

Curious, why Tartaric acid?

Tartaric is the dominate acid naturally found in grapes. Malic is also present, but is considered harsh - removing the harshness of malic acid is the reason for MLF; malo-lactic fermentation. MLF converts the malic to lactic, a much softer acid.

 

[BobF]

I'm measuring with digital scale

OK, I will not go with a acid blend.
I'm starting to wonder to just leave it alone.

Just think how much easier it will be doing the next batch

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

For a trial, mix 5g tartaric acid in 100ml distilled water. This is a 5% solution.

Measure 100ml of your wine.

Each ml of the solution you add to your wine sample is the same as making a .5g/L, or .05% addition. 2ml = 1g/L or .1%

So, 2ml in sample will be like making a full addition to your carboy bringing the TA from 5.6 to 6.6.

Somebody please double check my math

Correct and a nice way of doing a bench test. Right again on only Tartaric and never Malic. You don't put gasoline on a pending fire and that is what you are doing when you add Malic. also 30 ppm won't stop an impending MLF. This worries me more than anything because you want to bottle.

 

[BobF]

Snow - Sorry, but there is an important question that should have been asked long ago.

What is the source for the wine? Fresh grapes, juice, concentrate kit?

 

[thesnow]

Source , Fresh grapes

 

[BobF]

Have you put this through MLF, or no?

 

[thesnow]

This is what i did in October. Crushing grapes and primary 5 days, pressing and transfered all liquids into secondary vessel for 2 days. Then add 1/8 tsp Vitamin C into each carboy's and transfered from secondary vessel into carboys, left carboys at room temperature for 10 days I never add meta sulifite potassium , (I forgot stressful year). After 10 days when I saw there was no more air bubbles in air locks. I then placed carboys in cold room 50-55F (again, never add meta sulfite) I added the first meta sulifite in the cold room 1/4 tsp in March.

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Vitamin C why would you do that ? Just curious. I would attempt a MLf with Enolferm Alpha or VP 41. Culture the mlb at 80 degrees with acti ml , apple juice, wine and water for 3 days about a quart total and raise temp of wine to 70 and see if you can get it going.
Malvina

 

[BobF]

I agree. With your pH where it is, it would be risky trying to keep MLF from happening on it's own. You should end up with even lower TA and higher pH when MLF is done, but that is easily corrected.

Might even be a good idea to raise acidity a bit before you start MLF.

 

[thesnow]

Why i put Vitamin C. Long store short. Following what others do here. After racking from the secondary vessel to Carboy's or Denijohn's after ten, fifteen days when the air locks shown no more signs of air bubbles you would put sulfite mixed with a little vitamen to protect the wine.
What i know now and what I'm learning is from this winemaking forum.
I'm also starting to see that everybody I know here where i live don't know what there doing or don't want to tell you. It's kinda frustrating, it's like getting parts & pieces of a puzzle but you don't have a clue what the picture is.

 

[thesnow]

I'm curious, why suggest a MLF?

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Red Vinifera varietals are put through MLf as a matter of sound winemaking procedure. It is not an option but some will pretend it is one. You do a MLF for 2 major reasons the first is to eliminate harsh malic acid which makes the wine more approachable at an early age. The second reason is the most important. A spontaneous MLF can start at any time even after bottling. If so your wine will be fizzy. Not exactly what you want in a Cabernet Sauvignon. So two things should strike you. one Acid blend has malic so there is no sense adding something you want to remove. The second thing is you inoculate on purpose with the bacteria so it converts the malic to lactic and the wine is then stable for bottling. A proper ph and a reasonable TA will act as more of an antioxidant then adding ascorbic acid There is no reason to put vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in your wine period. Unless you are breaking down mercaptins for a treatment of copper to eliminate a H2S problem
Malvina

 

[thesnow]

Red Cabernet Sauvignon
Results: PH 3.8 straight from cold room, did test again 15 mins later PH 3.76
TA is 5.6 g/L
The free SO2 is 40 ppm.
I was planning to filter into another carboy then bottle, but I'm on hold now, not sure what do..

This is what i did in October. Crushing grapes and primary 5 days, pressing and transfered all liquids into secondary vessel for 2 days. Then add 1/8 tsp Vitamin C into each carboy's and transfered from secondary vessel into carboys, left carboys at room temperature for 10 days I never add meta sulifite potassium , (I forgot stressful year). After 10 days when I saw there was no more air bubbles in air locks. I then placed carboys in cold room 50-55F (again, never add meta sulfite) I added the first meta sulifite in the cold room 1/4 tsp in March.

Again why MLF? I did a MLF for 10 days?

Lets review my mistakes.Besides the error of adding vitamin C, and my second mistake by not adding Meta Potassium after 10 days. Is my third mistake ? maybe I've should have left the carboys at room temp for more then 10 days even thought there was no more air bubbles activity.
What do you guys think?

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Again why MLF? I did a MLF for 10 days?

Lets review my mistakes.Besides the error of adding vitamin C, and my second mistake by not adding Meta Potassium after 10 days. Is my third mistake ? maybe I've should have left the carboys at room temp for more then 10 days even thought there was no more air bubbles activity.
What do you guys think?

Just because you waited 10 days after pressing that is no indication after bubbles stopped in the Air Lock that you even started a MLF let alone completed one. Most likely the bubbles you saw for 10 days was the ending of the Alcohol Fermentation. I think I explained the necessity of MLF. Now if you want to know if you have a completed MLF purchase an Accuvin Malic Acid test kit. It will tell you the presence and level of Malic Acid in the wine. If you have more than 30 ppm it is safe to say you have not completed a MLF. Your second mistake was not adding ML bacteria not K meta. You should have added MLF bacteria instead at that point and kept the wine at 70 until the MLF was completed which can take up to 90 days and you would test with Accuvin Malic Test to confirm the completion. Then you would add the FIRST Dose of K meta

Since you added only a small amount of K meta if you splash rack the wine you may be able to get a MLF going at this date.
Malvina

 

[thesnow]

Thank you, much appreciated, I will get the accuvin malic test kit for my next batch of wine making. I will also get the ML bacteria , do you suggest any particular brand or type?

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Thank you, much appreciated, I will get the accuvin malic test kit for my next batch of wine making. I will also get the ML bacteria , do you suggest any particular brand or type?

I like Enol Ferm Alpha or VP 41
Malvina

 

[thesnow]

I can't find these products, Is there an online store where i can purchase the Enol Ferm Alpha or VP-41
Thanks