Low PH ?

[Tony49]

Well I finally got to use my new PH meter.
Unfortunately when I tested my three gallon welches Concord it read a PH of 4.0. Seems a bit low but I'm no expert.
Taste is good, sweet, strong and perhaps a bit flat.
Oops! Just read the tutorial on measuring PH. Seems it may be a bit high.
Probably should leave it alone.
Suggestions?
Thanks
Tony...

 

[cintipam]

Hi Tony

congrats on the new meter. That was one of my first big purchases after discovering how frustrating, time consuming, and inaccurate those strips are. And PH is really a jumble of contradictions until you realize the lingo often is opposite of the intended results. Basically it sounds like you should trust your tongue. A flat wine needs to have a bit of acid added to wake it up. Adding acid will lower the PH number, putting you in more in the acceptable safer range for wine.

Just remember to go slowly adding acid, cause you can't easily take it out again. Match the acid to the fruit for best results. Concord is grape, so tartaric if you got it. Otherwise a bit of acid blend should help.

Pam in cinti

 

[Tony49]

Thanks very much Pam for your practical answer.
I have a hard time wrapping my head around this PH thing.

Basically it sounds like you should trust your tongue

I think I can do that.

 

[Treeman]

Hi Tony, As Pam said try adding some acid to your welches and see how the taste changes. Start with 3-4 glasses and add a bit more Tartaric acid to each glass. Just be sure not to drink it all when you taste the glasses. Save enough to measure the pH in each glass after you taste.

The real key to pH is if you want to bottle your wine and have it last at room temp for several years. You will need to get your wine pH down around 3.8 to make your sulfite (kmeta aka camden) addition kill off the bacteria for those 2-10 yrs in bottle.