Help understanding TA

[White cobra]

I just recently started a batch of muskidine wine. I just bought a acid test kit. I just tested the muskidine and got a reading of .8%. I have read that muskidines are high in acid so that is why I bought the kit. What TA should this wine be at? Do I need to add acid blend to bring it up or do I need to lower it?

 

[Luc]

Sorry I am no expert on all the grape varieties.
And I am from Europe so a Muscadine is not well known to me.

Generally speaking:

For a white the range is .65 to .75

For a red .6 to .7

So your TA is a bit high.

So no adding of acid in any way.

Now the dominant acid in grape wines is tartaric acid.
Tartaric acid will drop out for a part when the finished wine
is put in the cold. Large crystals will form which are excess
tartaric acid. You can siphon the wine from the crystals and
the acidity will be at level.....
But you can only do this when the wine is completely finsished
and it is cold outside for several weeks.....

If the cold stabilisation is out of the question you could
lower the acidity a bit by dilluting your must (you should do this
during or before fermentation, not when the wine is finished)
with dilluted grape concentrate.
That is the most natural way.

Another option would be lowering acid a bit
with acidex or similar products.
Again I would not do this during fermentation.

Luc

 

[White cobra]

Thanks Luc, Sounds like I am on the right track. I tasted wine yesterday and it was a bit muski and tart, that is why I asked before I ruined all the wine and wasted all the time I have in it already! I have 24 gallons going and are about 3 weeks along. I have a empty fridge, so cold stabilisation is no problem!