High PH - How Long Until Risk of Spoilage?

[raelynn]

I am making the strawberry wine in Jack Keller's book for the first time, which doesn't call for acid/acid adjustments until a couple months in. The recipe steps:
1. Primary fermentation
2. Rack to secondary once SG is 1.020 or lower if fermentation is still vigorous
3. Wait 30 days, rack again.
4. Wait 30 days, check clarity (correct with pectin enzyme if required) and test TA (correct with citric acid). Stabilize, back sweeten if desired.
5. Wait 4 days, then rack again.
6. Wait 30 days, and bottle.

The recipe doesn't call for any acid until testing the TA, which would be ~2.5 months in. I got a PH meter right before I started it, and the PH was 4.2. I know that high PH can lead to spoilage and bacteria growth - how long until it is a risk? I don't have a way to test TA, so will have to adjust based on the PH reading.

 

[BigDaveK]

Really?
Yeast like a higher pH, but so does everything else!
I've never seen a recipe without an acid addition at the beginning unless the ingredients themselves were acidic.

 

[raelynn]

Really?
Yeast like a higher pH, but so does everything else!
I've never seen a recipe without an acid addition at the beginning unless the ingredients themselves were acidic.

I've never seen a recipe without acid at the beginning either, but it's Jack Keller so I felt like I should trust the instructions.

I'm not sure if I should disregard that he doesn't say to deal with acidity until 2.5 months in, and adjust the pH when I rack it this weekend. It's almost fermented dry.

What would you do? Would the pH change between now and 2 months from now, if I left it? I know correcting low pH is harder than high pH so I don't want to over adjust.

 

[BigDaveK]

I don't have his book but his collection of recipes has 4 strawberry recipes and they all have acid from the start.
In case you don't have it, here it is -

https://swguildpa.com/wp-content/up...ler-Complete-Requested-Recipes-Collection.pdf
The pH might change but not by much. Most of my wines stay unchanged or increase in acidity a tiny bit. I had one go from 3.5 to 3.1 but that was only one.

Personally I wouldn't wait. I'd get it to 3.6 or a tad lower. I think waiting is a big risk.

Trust your instincts. If a recipe seems odd then look for others for comparison. I look at recipes for ideas but don't follow them. I usually adjust sugar to 1.090 (or more depending on ingredients) and acid about 3.5 (or less, depending on ingredients).
Good luck!

 

[Rice_Guy]

Your question was how long to wait? You should be reasonably safe while the wine is out gassing. Around a month.
As an industry guy, I would have set the pH at the start. Being in spec lets you be more sloppy. For a fruit wine I aim for 3.2 to 3.5 pH. Yes you can let the pH high but then you ought to treat it like a beer with squeaky clean air exclusion and refrigeration to prevent infection.
You could test TA the old fashioned way and taste it. % TA is only a guideline, the real control point is to adjust the TA so your wine tastes balanced.

 

[raelynn]

I don't have his book but his collection of recipes has 4 strawberry recipes and they all have acid from the start.
In case you don't have it, here it is -

https://swguildpa.com/wp-content/up...ler-Complete-Requested-Recipes-Collection.pdf
The pH might change but not by much. Most of my wines stay unchanged or increase in acidity a tiny bit. I had one go from 3.5 to 3.1 but that was only one.

Personally I wouldn't wait. I'd get it to 3.6 or a tad lower. I think waiting is a big risk.

Trust your instincts. If a recipe seems odd then look for others for comparison. I look at recipes for ideas but don't follow them. I usually adjust sugar to 1.090 (or more depending on ingredients) and acid about 3.5 (or less, depending on ingredients).
Good luck!

I tested the PH and got 3.02. I was confused, so I recalibrated and got the same reading. I wasn't expecting a drop in PH - maybe the recipe is correct after all? I read through the other recipes in his book and most have acid adjustment right at the start, but not this one.

 

[BigDaveK]

I'm shocked! And puzzled! 4.2 to 3.02 is huge. That's a decent number, though. I personally like many of my berry wines to be tart.

 

[raelynn]

I'm shocked! And puzzled! 4.2 to 3.02 is huge. That's a decent number, though. I personally like many of my berry wines to be tart.

I have a Milwaukee 102 pH meter, so I feel like I should trust the readings, even as a newbie. Had I not taken the before reading twice, I would assume maybe it was incorrect. Very strange though, I prefer understanding why something has happened.

 

[rsportsman]

Check the pH meter calibration with saturated cream of tartar https://vinmetrica.com/troubleshooting-guide/#CreamOfTartar