Too tart!

[DAB]

9/14/19
440lbs of Petit Syrah, overall the grapes looked good...no rot. Yielded about 24-27 gallons of must.

Post crush...Measured:
PH 4.15
TA 5.5-6.0
Brix 22
Added 24 grams of potassium metabisulphite.


9/15/19
Added Tartaric Acid Additions as follows:

24 (gal must) x (70% liquid vs skins) = 16.8
16.8 (actual liquid volume) x (((+2 g/l TA addition) x 3.8 g/gallon) or 7.6)= 127.68 grams of Tartaric Acid needed.

9/21/19
SG 1.000
So...we pressed and racked.
Yield 21 gallons of must
Ph 3.79
TA 7.5
Very pleasant taste, consistent with what you'd expect with a Petit Syrah. I was very happy indeed.


9/25/19
Taste very different. Very tart!! I'm afraid I added too much tartaric acid!?!?
PH 3.79 still
TA 7.5 still
Still SG 1.000


Added malolactic bacteria whilst keeping my hopeful fingers crossed. I hope to goodness I didn't ruin this otherwise great wine. Any thoughts?

 

[Johnd]

9/14/19
440lbs of Petit Syrah, overall the grapes looked good...no rot. Yielded about 24-27 gallons of must.

Post crush...Measured:
PH 4.15
TA 5.5-6.0
Brix 22
Added 24 grams of potassium metabisulphite.


9/15/19
Added Tartaric Acid Additions as follows:

24 (gal must) x (70% liquid vs skins) = 16.8
16.8 (actual liquid volume) x (((+2 g/l TA addition) x 3.8 g/gallon) or 7.6)= 127.68 grams of Tartaric Acid needed.

9/21/19
SG 1.000
So...we pressed and racked.
Yield 21 gallons of must
Ph 3.79
TA 7.5
Very pleasant taste, consistent with what you'd expect with a Petit Syrah. I was very happy indeed.


9/25/19
Taste very different. Very tart!! I'm afraid I added too much tartaric acid!?!?
PH 3.79 still
TA 7.5 still
Still SG 1.000


Added malolactic bacteria whilst keeping my hopeful fingers crossed. I hope to goodness I didn't ruin this otherwise great wine. Any thoughts?

I think it’s a babe in the woods, and most wine tastes tart, funky, bitter, disjointed, green, and otherwise not yummy when it’s two weeks old. Complete MLF, barrel age or otherwise oak it and let it degas and undergo all of the chemical changes nature has in store. Petite sirah is typically very tannic and comes around really slowly. Taste it again in a few months.

 

[DAB]

Okay, premature worry, good! Thank you for the encouragement sir...I appreciate both your time and your expertise! I'll provide updates in a few months as it matures.

Many thanks!

 

[Johnd]

Okay, premature worry, good! Thank you for the encouragement sir...I appreciate both your time and your expertise! I'll provide updates in a few months as it matures.

Many thanks!

You're quite welcome. You certainly want to at least get through MLF, knocking out the sharp malic acid in favor of the milder lactic acid has an evident change in taste, it should be much smoother. If indeed, down the road, the wine still exhibits some tart or acidic characteristics, you'll still have plenty of time to do some minor modifications. Using small samples of wine, you'll be able to try adjusting the acid up or down to varying degrees, and see how the different modifications taste, then adjust the batch if needed.

 

[wood1954]

So how did this turn out?