RJ Spagnols Three Reds - all high TA

[mattyc]

I racked three different reds tonight, all of which were started in early Jan and clarified (SuperKleer) in late Jan and have been sitting in the cellar for the last 3 months. They all had a sharp bite to them and when I measured the TA on them, all were pretty high:

RJS Cru Select - Cabernet Malbec Carmenere - SG .993, pH 3.25, TA 0.90
RJS Winery Series - Trio Red - SG .994, pH 3.25, TA 0.85
Fontana Premium Merlot - SG 0.992, pH 3.22, TA 0.80

I read that the TA for a red wine should be in the 0.60-0.70 range. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm assuming the high acidity is giving them that astringent puckering taste/feeling. MLF? Cold-stabilization?

I thought kits were supposed to be perfectly balanced to start with, so I'm surprised to see these all coming out so high.

I measure TA by adding sodium hydroxide until the pH of my sample hits 8.2. pH meter is only a few months old, stored correctly, and 2-point calibrated today.

I have four more reds to rack tomorrow. Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated!

 

[ibglowin]

Yea,

Dont mess with it.

 

[salcoco]

you can try some bench trials with glycerin or sugar syrup. neither will sweeten the wine but will cause balance against the acidity. syrup will require addition of pot sorbate in the wine if you choose to go forward. glycerin is non fermetable , about 1% of this or less is a good balance.