Wade, Waldo,,anyone?

[rgecaprock]

I have my one gallon of Cabernet Sauvignon made from grapes. It is clear and thinking about bottling it. It is a little on the acidic side. Is it too late to add a pinch of calcium carbonate to even it out a little or should that have been done during fermemtation?I have only used ph paper and it was 4 something and by taste a little acidic but very good. Should I leave it alone or add a pinch. It is an experiment for me but fine as it is. What would you do?


Ramona

 

[PeterZ]

a pH of 4 is a little high. I thought 3.8 or so would be about right. That being said, 4 on a broad range pH paper could be anything from 3.5 - 4.5.


If it tastes OK to you I would bottle it as is and give it time to mellow.

 

[grapeman]

LikePeter said the paper isn't all that accurate. If it tastes tart, it probably is lower than 4.0. If it was that high it would be pretty blah tasting.If you think it is unpleasantly tart, some calcium carbonate could be added now. You would then need to refrigerate to precipitate out the calcium carbonate and hopefully some acid crystals. I would lean more towards adding a little oak and let it age a few weeks to get the oak. Then bottle it and forget about it for 6-12 months(except for a taste). It will probably be pretty good about then.Edited by: appleman

 

[Waldo]

I agree with appleman ramona...Oak and 6-8 months will take care of it nicely