High pH, High TA

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Dom Lausic

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Hey Everyone! Hope everyone's winemaking is in full swing!!

Needed a few opinions. Crushed some Californian Cab Sauv yesterday. Ran some tests today, and needed opinions on must adjustments.

Brix: 24
pH: 4.13
TA: 6.0

Want to bring the pH but don't want the TA to get too high! Looking for any thoughts and suggestions.

As always, greatly aprecieated!
 
I agree. Sounds like a good plan. Spoke to a buddy of mine at the Niagara College. He works in the winery and said the same thing. Suggested I can go higher with the TA because the higher alcohol will balance out the acid. And of course, MLF will convert the malic acid as well.

Here's to great wine! 😁
 
Agree with Cmason and your Niagara buddy. Had a cab in ‘18 with same numbers. Didn’t wanna wreck my TA just like you. I knocked down only to 3.75. Eventually crept back up 3.9 and I was stuck tending to a needy high ph wine. High sulphite ppm required and surface got dirty easily requiring tlc.

If had a do-over I would have brought to 3.6. But in 2 adjustments spread out to not overshoot with such a significant addition.
 
What is the ideal PH level for Cab or Merlot. (fresh juice) I completed secondary fermentation. My PH reading is 3.21. Should I do any adjustment with PH and TA? It smells and looks great, just a little tart right now.
 
What is the ideal PH level for Cab or Merlot. (fresh juice) I completed secondary fermentation. My PH reading is 3.21. Should I do any adjustment with PH and TA? It smells and looks great, just a little tart right now.

PH for most red wines "should be" something like 3.4-3.8. Maybe that should be "is generally." There is no ideal PH level for most wines. Yours sounds a bit low and I might try to raise it closer to the "normal" levels. I would make a small adjustment on a small amount (like half a gallon) and see if it gets better or worse. a Bench trial, where you make different adjustments on each, is probably in order.
 

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