Tannin in Strawberry

[koolmoto]

Hi all, I got into wine making last month and just started my first wine from scratch. Saw you all talking about some interesting stuff here, so decided to join.

My first wine is with some beautiful strawberries from the farmer's market. Unfortunately I followed the directions on the wine tannin which was for red wine and added a whole 3 tsp to my 7 gallons of must. Do you think it will be too astringent needing heat and bentonite or might it be OK after a long aging? I see most recipes calling for only 1/2 tsp.

Saw the acid was out of wack, so decided to adjust.
Spec Gravity before fermentation: 1.090
PH BEFORE adjustment:3.43
TA BEFORE adjustment:3.25
Added 22g Citric Acid and 22g Malic acid
PH AFTER adjustment:3.16
TA AFTER adjustment:6

Thanks, looking forward to talking about wine making with you all!

 

[Scooter68]

Most times a good starting pH for fruit wines is between 3.4 and 3.6. Lower like 3.16 isn't bad other than it might make it tough for some yeast to get started well. As long as it is now fermenting then it should be fine. As to the tannin - it's in there, just have to see how that works out. Tannin in one additive that is ok to add even during aging so keep that in mind for the next time around. Forgetting to add it .... no big deal but you're past that point so don't sweat it now.
Keep in mind now is a good time for all sorts of fresh fruits that make excellent wine, Blackberry, Peaches cherries etc. Look for then at that farmers market and with things like peaches... ask about their over-ripe or slightly bruised ones. You might get a deal. A bushel or two will provide you with plenty for wine, freeze for smoothies and other good things. Always nice to find them in the freezer later on in fall or winter so I don't think you can have too many peaches... as long as there is freezer space.

 

[koolmoto]

Most times a good starting pH for fruit wines is between 3.4 and 3.6. Lower like 3.16 isn't bad other than it might make it tough for some yeast to get started well. As long as it is now fermenting then it should be fine. As to the tanning - it's in there, just have to see how that works out. Tannin in one additive that is ok to add even during aging so keep that in mind for the next time around. Forgetting to add it .... no big deal but you're past that point so don't sweat it now.
Keep in mind now is a good time for all sorts of fresh fruits that make excellent wine, Blackberry, Peaches cherries etc. Look for then at that farmers market and with things like peaches... ask about their over-ripe or slightly bruised ones. You might get a deal. A bushel or two will provide you with plenty for wine, freeze for smoothies and other good things. Always nice to find them in the freezer later on in fall or winter so I don't think you can have too many peaches... as long as there is freezer space.

Ah, thanks; good info there! When you say starting pH, do you mean that the pH will change after fermentation naturally or it will change after fermentation from my addition of acid? I tasted some of the must and it tasted pretty good to me, not astringent, but mostly because it was overpoweringly sweet and I have no idea (being a newbie). We'll see how it turns out!

I definitely look forward to making some other fruit wines this summer. I trust they will get better and better the more I practice.

 

[Scooter68]

The fermentation will drop while the CO2 levels are present but there will also be a bit of a permenant increase (lower pH) as well. For that reason other than to get the pH 'in range' before fermentation is all that's needed. Keep in mind that decreasing acidity should be done very slowly - Its easy to go too far without realizing it. Typically the 'rule of thumb' is to add no more that 1/3 of what you think you need, mix and wait.
Most old timers will tell you that in the end, let your taste buds be the judge. That's hard to do before fermentation so that's why most folks use pH meters to do the measurements then and let their taste buds do the job after fermentation is over and all the CO2 is gone - just before bottling time.

 

[Johnd]

Hi all, I got into wine making last month and just started my first wine from scratch. Saw you all talking about some interesting stuff here, so decided to join.

My first wine is with some beautiful strawberries from the farmer's market. Unfortunately I followed the directions on the wine tannin which was for red wine and added a whole 3 tsp to my 7 gallons of must. Do you think it will be too astringent needing heat and bentonite or might it be OK after a long aging? I see most recipes calling for only 1/2 tsp.

Saw the acid was out of wack, so decided to adjust.
Spec Gravity before fermentation: 1.090
PH BEFORE adjustment:3.43
TA BEFORE adjustment:3.25
Added 22g Citric Acid and 22g Malic acid
PH AFTER adjustment:3.16
TA AFTER adjustment:6

Thanks, looking forward to talking about wine making with you all!

Welcome to WMT!! Glad you decided to hop aboard!

Based on your post, I’ll offer the following input to your questions / process:

Tannin, in addition to its mouthfeel / puckering properties, also helps bind colors in the wine. Hopefully, yours will stay nice and red. The astringency will fade over time, but you probably don’t want to wait many years to drink your wine, a little added sweetness will easily help overcome the tannic nature of your wine.

The acidity in your wine wasn’t, in my opinion, out of whack. As Scooter said, youre pH was in the “good to go” range. Starting pH of 3.16 is a pH I’d consider adjusting UPWARD to avoid stressing my yeast, not a goal I’d work towards. Again, sugar will help overcome here as well if your wine is a little tart with acidity.

Hope it all comes out great! Here’s a link to a thread from my strawberry wine a year or two ago: The Strawberry

 

[koolmoto]

Thanks yall! So would you say that PH is much more important than TA? If PH is correct, but TA seems off, it's nothing to worry about? (Or was the TA of 3.25 OK?)

It is bubbling after 30 hours, just not very quickly - maybe once every 6 seconds @ ~70degrees.

Johnd, great strawberry wine thread there. Wish I head read that before starting! I'll be happy as long as this first batch doesn't spoil though.

 

[cmason1957]

Thanks yall! So would you say that PH is much more important than TA? If PH is correct, but TA seems off, it's nothing to worry about? (Or was the TA of 3.25 OK?)

It is bubbling after 30 hours, just not very quickly - maybe once every 6 seconds @ ~70degrees.

Johnd, great strawberry wine thread there. Wish I head read that before starting! I'll be happy as long as this first batch doesn't spoil though.

I don't think you can say one is more important than the other (ph and ta) ph have more to do with microbial stability. It determines how much metabisulphite needs to be added for a stable wine, while ta had more to do with how does it taste. Pretty much what I do is get ph in the proper range for the wine I am making, 3.2 or so for something that it's going to be fruitier and whites, 3.6 for heavier reds. Taste comes next for me and that's a personal thing, some folks try to hit a magic ta. I will sometimes measure ta post ferment, If it tastes a bit sharp or dull and decide where to go from that. But those are small changes.

 

[T-Boy]

I wish there was an affordable TA meter for home winemakers.

 

[koolmoto]

I wish there was an affordable TA meter for home winemakers.

Yeah, it's a bit of a pain to do the chemistry set thing and I am always wondering how accurate it is...

 

[cmason1957]

Do you own a ph meter? Instead of trying to guess when that color change happens, it happens at a ph of 8.2, so add your drops, stir with that ph meter (if you don't have a stir plate) add you approach a ph of 7.8 or so, go slowly. Ph 8.2 boom, done titrating. Our buck up and buy a Vinmetrica meter, which isn't cheap.

 

[koolmoto]

Do you own a ph meter? Instead of trying to guess when that color change happens, it happens at a ph of 8.2, so add your drops, stir with that ph meter (if you don't have a stir plate) add you approach a ph of 7.8 or so, go slowly. Ph 8.2 boom, done titrating. Our buck up and buy a Vinmetrica meter, which isn't cheap.

Thanks, yeah I do have one. This method is much easier than using the strips, I would imagine. Wow those Vinmetrica meters are cool...

 

[koolmoto]

Wine turned out pretty good. Can't really taste the extra tannin. It has an awesome aroma of strawberry, but doesn't taste like it smells. Tastes crisp, acidic and refreshing though. Here's the label: