Hard water & white wine??

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myakkagldwngr

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The closest I've come to attempting a white is a peach/pineapple that is sitting right now in the carboy waiting for the second racking.
I've been thinking about my water!! I know I read that the minerals in tap water is actually better than using distilled water, but my water is from a shallow well and is loadd with iron.
Could I have problems with so much iron in the water and never actually get a really clear white?
 
Has your water gone through a softener or are you using it straight from the well? If you're using it from the well unsoftened you may have trouble achieving a white wine. Ever used hard water in a mixed drink...it turns black. Alcohol and hard water react in this manner. The fermentation process "may" counteract this, I don't know. I always use highly filtered water cause if I'm going to all the trouble and expense I don't want to take a chance.
 
Nope, no filter or softner.
Straight from the pipes into my pipes.. I can only imagine what my insides look like but it sure keeps my iron count high for donating at the blood bank.:)
 
When making wine is it best to use just tap water from home or should I go to the store and get some type of bottled and purified water?
 
I was under the impression that tap water's minerals were a benefit when making wine, but mine is from a shallow well and has a lot of iron in it. Iron causes rust, and rust is the brown you see from oxidation.
One of the more experienced members should be along and maybe give us both some information.
 
When making wine is it best to use just tap water from home or should I go to the store and get some type of bottled and purified water?

Tap water should be fine if the chlorine content isn't too high. Personally I prefer to use filtered bottled water from our local municipality. At only $.35/gal I feel more confident in it. Softened well water is also fine but contains a little sodium.
 
I used to have well water. I would run it through a filter though before using it. I have city water now and still use the same filter. With the well water I wanted to filter iron and cysts. With the city water I want to filter the chlorine. You are correct though, the minerals in the water, particularly nitrogen are nutrients to the yeast.
 
I've used water from both a shallow well and municipal systems. With the well, I use a filter to remove the iron and sediments. If I'm going to use a large quantity of water from the municipality, I'll fill a drum or bucket the day before to let the chlorine dissipate. If I'm topping off a carboy, it's straight from the tap.
 
Tap water should be fine if the chlorine content isn't too high. Personally I prefer to use filtered bottled water from our local municipality. At only $.35/gal I feel more confident in it. Softened well water is also fine but contains a little sodium.

Do you think I should go to the grocery and get filtered water? I wouldn't even have a clue as to how much 6 gallons would cost. $.35/gal seems really cheap.
 
I would not use distilled water for making wine but it is actually better for topping off a wine because at that point you dont want 02 in your wine and distilled water has been processed to remove 02 and many other things like minerals. If i were you I would get a simple whole house filter installed for both wine making and to save on your appliances to catch sediment as it wreaks havoc on washers and dishwashers plus can eliminate many other things that are not good for you.
 
Gawd,,, after 54 years of drinking this stuff, I think it's too late to worry about me.
I'll just worry about my wine.:)
 
If you do get a filter, get a carbon filter. They're more expensive than the paper filters, but you get a better water quality
 

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