Wow... 1) I want the Enoferm ML bacteria to be the predominant bacteria.
If ML is starting prior to my pitching the bacteria, can I still pitch the
Enoferm Alpha? Will it take?

2) TA and degassing the wine... yeah... I always boil my sample
prior to testing it. Cold stabilization is a good point, especially with
the potassium I added. But, won't that just jump my pH further? Should I
be so concerned about these pH levels?

Thanks Tom,

-Paul

"Tom S" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> "Paul S. Remington" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Okay... Tom S., if you're out there... I'm the fellow with the
> > Chardonnay juice that had foam pour out of the demijohn the other night.
> If
> > you'll remember, I was trying to adjust the pH to a proper reading for
> > Enoferm Alpha ML bacteria.
> >
> > My wine is approaching final fermentation. SG is 1.012 and I'm
> confused
> > by my pH/TA readings. After adjusting the pH the other night, pH was at
> > 3.22 with TA at start of fermentation at .95. Now, the pH is at 3.46
with
> > TA still at .95. Now, I'm sure the pH was rising the other night
because
> > the TA was increasing due to fermentation, so I must have knocked the TA
> > down enough so it eventually rose back to the current .95 reading. But
> now
> > the pH is also rising to amounts that concern me.
> >
> > Two questions:
> >
> > 1) What is the acceptable pH range for ML fermentation using Enoferm
> > Alpha? I thought it was between 3.2 and 3.4. If it spikes to 3.5 or
3.6,
> > will I run into problems?
>
> ML goes easier at higher pH and/or temperatures. Judging by the rise in
pH
> you've observed, I'd guess that you already have ML going spontaneously.
>
> > 2) What is the acceptable SG range to pitch the ML bacteria? I
> remember
> > you said you would do it at the beginning of fermentation. I'm
following
> > the manufacturer's recommendation to do it after fermentation. Would a
SG
> > of 1.00 be acceptable for pitching the bacteria?
>
> Yes, but that may not be necessary. BTW, have you followed the thread re
> degassing samples prior to TA measurements? One other point is that you
may
> need to chill the excess bitartrates out of the wine to get accurate
> readings on TA.
>
> Tom S
>
>