I made a batch of muscadine wine using 15 lbs of grapes per gallon. I
added no water. The wine has plenty of flavor. At time of sweetening I
am having to add what seems like too much sugar and it still tastes
out of balance. I am assuming that it is too acidic. I don't have the
facilities to chill the wine to precipitate the acid out. What are my
options for reducing the acidity?
Thanks

On 3/18/04 4:22 PM, in article
, "james"
> wrote:

> I made a batch of muscadine wine using 15 lbs of grapes per gallon. I
> added no water. The wine has plenty of flavor. At time of sweetening I
> am having to add what seems like too much sugar and it still tastes
> out of balance. I am assuming that it is too acidic. I don't have the
> facilities to chill the wine to precipitate the acid out. What are my
> options for reducing the acidity?
> Thanks

Well, the first thing that comes to mind would be to blend it with another
lower-acid wine. That way you may achieve some balance. Have you tested the
acid levels so you know how much there is?

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

james wrote:

> I made a batch of muscadine wine using 15 lbs of grapes per gallon. I
> added no water. The wine has plenty of flavor. At time of sweetening I
> am having to add what seems like too much sugar and it still tastes
> out of balance. I am assuming that it is too acidic. I don't have the
> facilities to chill the wine to precipitate the acid out. What are my
> options for reducing the acidity?
> Thanks
I don't know where you live but if you live in the Houston, Tx. area and
have made wine from what the locals around there call muscadine grapes,
then I think the primary use for your "wine" might be paint remover. The
grapes are so acidic that they can put blisters on your hand if you crush
them with your hands. Sugar will only mask the acidity. Your stomach will
know the truth.

James - Do you have the equipment to measure the acid in wine? I ask
because there are ways to reduce acid but you have to know where you are
starting from. If you have the acid titration data answer back and we can
go from there. Also, how much sugar is "too much"?

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas

"james" > wrote in message
om...
> I made a batch of muscadine wine using 15 lbs of grapes per gallon. I
> added no water. The wine has plenty of flavor. At time of sweetening I
> am having to add what seems like too much sugar and it still tastes
> out of balance. I am assuming that it is too acidic. I don't have the
> facilities to chill the wine to precipitate the acid out. What are my
> options for reducing the acidity?
> Thanks

"William Frazier" > wrote in message >...
> James - Do you have the equipment to measure the acid in wine? I ask
> because there are ways to reduce acid but you have to know where you are
> starting from. If you have the acid titration data answer back and we can
> go from there. Also, how much sugar is "too much"?
>
> Bill Frazier
> Olathe, Kansas


Yes I have an acid titration test kit. I have not tested it yet. I
find that the color change involved is most difficult to judge "by
eye". So, I bought a cheap Ph meter to determine "the change" as
indicated by a reading of 8.2 on the Ph meter. I guess I don't have
the confidence in the technique to trust the results. As soon as I
return from out of town I'll test it and post the results.
Regarding the question about "too much sugar" I typically add no more
than 8 oz to the gallon of my blackberry to get a pretty sweet wine.
I've added 12 oz to the gallon of the muscadine and as was said it
seems to mask the acidity not really sweeten the wine.
I'm using the same North Carolina muscadines that a local winery uses
to produce a great wine. The winery owners say to use 12-15 pounds of
grapes per gallon and that they add nothing else except yeast. So, I
didn't figure I needed to dilute the must with water to acheive the
right acid content. But, I didn;t test the acid content as I said
because I'm intimidated by the procedure. ALso, I like to use as much
fruit as possible to acheive a large flavor content.

You don't have to crush them with your hands to get those blisters. I get
them just from picking those grapes. The acidity is phenomenal. The wine
made from them was not.

I am not speaking against Muscadines in general, just the wild ones around
Houston.

Ray

"Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote in message
...
> james wrote:
>
> > I made a batch of muscadine wine using 15 lbs of grapes per gallon. I
> > added no water. The wine has plenty of flavor. At time of sweetening I
> > am having to add what seems like too much sugar and it still tastes
> > out of balance. I am assuming that it is too acidic. I don't have the
> > facilities to chill the wine to precipitate the acid out. What are my
> > options for reducing the acidity?
> > Thanks
> I don't know where you live but if you live in the Houston, Tx. area and
> have made wine from what the locals around there call muscadine grapes,
> then I think the primary use for your "wine" might be paint remover. The
> grapes are so acidic that they can put blisters on your hand if you crush
> them with your hands. Sugar will only mask the acidity. Your stomach
will
> know the truth.

"james" > wrote "Regarding the question about "too much
sugar" I typically add no more than 8 oz to the gallon of my blackberry to
get a pretty sweet wine. I've added 12 oz to the gallon of the muscadine
and as was said it seems to mask the acidity not really sweeten the wine."

James - The 8oz/gallon is about 6.3% sugar and 12oz/gallon is about 9.5%
sugar. I agree...this is a lot of sugar and the wine should be sweet.

" I'm using the same North Carolina muscadines that a local winery uses
> to produce a great wine. The winery owners say to use 12-15 pounds of
> grapes per gallon and that they add nothing else except yeast. "

Is their wine sweet? Maybe they don't tell everything about their
procedure.

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas

James, when we lived in Arkansas, we picked muscadines by hand and ate them
as we picked them. Nothing acidic there. There are two wineries in Altus
AR that make it from muscadines. One is Wiederkehr Wine Cellers, Inc. You
might call them and ask them how they do it. I know they have one called
blush muscadine that is fantastic tasting. I have two bottles in my storage
area from them.

Dwayne




"William Frazier" > wrote in message
...
>
> "james" > wrote "Regarding the question about "too
much
> sugar" I typically add no more than 8 oz to the gallon of my blackberry to
> get a pretty sweet wine. I've added 12 oz to the gallon of the muscadine
> and as was said it seems to mask the acidity not really sweeten the wine."
>
> James - The 8oz/gallon is about 6.3% sugar and 12oz/gallon is about 9.5%
> sugar. I agree...this is a lot of sugar and the wine should be sweet.
>
> " I'm using the same North Carolina muscadines that a local winery uses
> > to produce a great wine. The winery owners say to use 12-15 pounds of
> > grapes per gallon and that they add nothing else except yeast. "
>
> Is their wine sweet? Maybe they don't tell everything about their
> procedure.
>
> Bill Frazier
> Olathe, Kansas
>
>