"Fishhead" > wrote in message
...
>I took some readings in some fresh must that was just crushed.
> It seemed hard to check SG with a hydrometer, as there are lots of
> particles in the must. Seems this would skew the readings.
>
> My initial readings.
>
> TA .58
> pH 3.80
> SG 1.115
>
> I added enough TA to increase it by 1%. I also added meta, enzyme and
> nutrient
> After stirring up the must I took readings again.
> TA .55
> pH 4.05
> SG 1.110
>
> What is the best way to get a good sample of must for tests?
> Does the material floating in the must effect the readings?

Your pH will rise as the potassium in the skins of the grapes diffuses into
the must. You really need to get some tartaric in there pronto! Your pH is
soaring. Could this be Petite Syrah?

I've found the easiest way to pull juice samples from must is to push a
strainer down into the cap, let it fill with juice and suck out a sample
with a turkey baster.

Try taking the TA up to 0.70 (on the sample) and see what that does for the
pH. Then _taste_ the juice. Always do a sanity check by taste before
busting any big moves with tartaric. Double check your calculations, do the
addition in portions and check in between portions to see if you're on
track. It's a lot easier to add more tartaric than it is to remove it if
you overshoot.

Tom S