Reducing acidity levels

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PricklyPear

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Hi,
I have a couple of batches of wine that are too sour (I guess I added too much acids, even though according to the titration I did it was supposed to be fine).
How can I reduce the acidity level?
I read that through cold stabilization I can make the tartaric acid crystallize and I hope it can help me.

If cold stabilization should help then what are the conditions needed for it? (will the temperature of a refrigerator suffice - i.e. 4-5 degrees Celsius? and for how long?).

Thanks!
 
Another question

Hi,
I have a couple of batches of wine that are too sour (I guess I added too much acids, even though according to the titration I did it was supposed to be fine).
How can I reduce the acidity level?
I read that through cold stabilization I can make the tartaric acid crystallize and I hope it can help me.

If cold stabilization should help then what are the conditions needed for it? (will the temperature of a refrigerator suffice - i.e. 4-5 degrees Celsius? and for how long?).

Thanks!

I measured the alcohol level of one of the batches I made before I got your advice regarding sugar additions using a vinometer and it is 7%.
It is still fermenting but very slowly (for over a month) and there isn't much sugar in it (tasted, not measured). I don't mind having a wine with low alcohol but I'm afraid it will make the wine more prone to spoilage.
What is your recommendation? Should I add more sugar and strengthen the wine or leave it as it is? (will the yeasts handle the sugar at this stage or will I probably just spoil the wine by making it too sweet this way?)
 
I measured the alcohol level of one of the batches I made before I got your advice regarding sugar additions using a vinometer and it is 7%.
It is still fermenting but very slowly (for over a month) and there isn't much sugar in it (tasted, not measured). I don't mind having a wine with low alcohol but I'm afraid it will make the wine more prone to spoilage.
What is your recommendation? Should I add more sugar and strengthen the wine or leave it as it is? (will the yeasts handle the sugar at this stage or will I probably just spoil the wine by making it too sweet this way?)

Vinometers are a poor source for measuring alcohol content. Did you get a starting SG reading with a hydrometer? This is by far the best proven method to see just where you stand with regard to alc. content. If you didn't then you'll have to go by what you have. Additional sugar can be added to bring the alcohol content up through renewed fermentation. If it is indeed at 7% the yeast will have no trouble in converting the added sugar to alcohol. Add the sugar in stages so as not to overwhelm the yeast. What yeast did you use?
 
Hi,
I have a couple of batches of wine that are too sour (I guess I added too much acids, even though according to the titration I did it was supposed to be fine).
How can I reduce the acidity level?
I read that through cold stabilization I can make the tartaric acid crystallize and I hope it can help me.

If cold stabilization should help then what are the conditions needed for it? (will the temperature of a refrigerator suffice - i.e. 4-5 degrees Celsius? and for how long?).

Thanks!

The easiest way in reducing acid I know of is with ACID-X from your local supplier and set the wine in the fridge for 2-3 weeks for the tartaric acid to drop out. This method will reduce some of the acid but not all.
 
Vinometers are a poor source for measuring alcohol content. Did you get a starting SG reading with a hydrometer? This is by far the best proven method to see just where you stand with regard to alc. content. If you didn't then you'll have to go by what you have. Additional sugar can be added to bring the alcohol content up through renewed fermentation. If it is indeed at 7% the yeast will have no trouble in converting the added sugar to alcohol. Add the sugar in stages so as not to overwhelm the yeast. What yeast did you use?

Too bad you can't trust a vinometer. I liked using it (at last something simple in wine making :) ).
I'm not sure about having S.G measurement for this specific batch, I need to check my documentation. 7% sounds pretty reasonable to reality when tasting the wine.
I am using Lallemand's DV10 yeasts.
Should I reopen the carboy to let some oxygen in (to boost the yeasts a little)?
 
The easiest way in reducing acid I know of is with ACID-X from your local supplier and set the wine in the fridge for 2-3 weeks for the tartaric acid to drop out. This method will reduce some of the acid but not all.


Thanks.
I will look for ACID-X or an equivalent.

By the way, I read in Yair Margalit's book today that for cold stabilization you need a temp between 0 and -5 celsius, which is lower than the temp of a fridge but higher than the temp of a home freezer (which is -18). I'll try the fridge and see if it helps anyway.
 
Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with DV10 yeast but if you'd visit the Lallemand web site I'm sure you would find info. there.

ACID-X is a combination of potassium bicorbinate and cream of tartar but I don't recall the recipe right now. The fridg temp. is cold enough to stabalize the wine and allow the tartaric acid to precipitate out. I keep my fridg temp at 35F.
 
Thanks.

I measured the pH today and it is 3.7 (which should be good) so I really can't understand what could cause this problem.
(I never mentioned it, but it is a fig wine and I used almost half of the quantity of acid blend comparing to a (good) plum wine I made. The equipment was sterilized, fermentation was very good, it reached its designated alcohol level but still turned out quite sour).
 
PH and acidity are not one in the same. Yes, one effects the other and the idea is to balance them. If you have any more figs you could make another batch with less acid and blend the two. Fig wine (at least mine) takes two years to mature.
 
I guess I'll start working on a new smaller batch tomorrow then...(and hopefully blending them will do the job).
 

Latest posts

Back
Top