Kiwi winemaking low ph

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rajeevniro

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Hello everyone..
Greetings from the temperate region of India..
I've been into kiwi wine making and i just checked my pH and it's less then 3. Would bentonite help in raising pH?
 
Bentonite will cause sediment to precipitate, strip color, and remove protein haze, but AFAIK, it doesn't affect pH.

You can use something like calcium carbonate, or blend with a high pH juice, such as apple. If you use calcium carbonate, I suggest using a small amount, say 25% of an amount calculated to change the pH to a desired value. Give it a month to work, then taste the wine. If it's still sharp, add more calcium carbonate. By going carefully, it avoids removing too much acid, which forces you to add acid back. You can get into an add/remove/add/... pattern.

Adding a high pH juice is probably safer, and if you use something neutral like apple juice, it shouldn't affect the flavor much.
 
Be careful!
My crabapple must was very acidic - 3.0 or 3.1. I liked the flavor so out of curiosity I didn't do anything. It fermented just fine. Of course some yeasts aren't happy with too much acid.

I haven't made kiwi wine yet but I think some tartness would be good. It's on my list to find out!
 
Dave's point is well taken -- check the pH of any blending juice before blending.

However, commercial apple juice has a pH between 3.5 and 4.4, according to sources I checked, so Dave's crabapple is not typical. But -- he's right in that checking first is the wiser choice.

In this specific situation, the higher the pH, the better, as the goal is to raise the must's pH, and a higher pH juice requires less juice to do that.

If it were me, I'd target 3.1 as a pH, as that should be good for fermentation. Once the wine has cleared and bulk aged, then be concerned with acid. Fruit wines normally benefit from backsweetening, and if the pH of the Kiwi is a bit low, a bit more sugar will balance it.
 

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