Finally had a chance to pull out my chemistry set yesterday. Here are
the results:

Kits:

-- BK Carmenere Malbec: pH 3.27 TA 7.5
-- White Zinfandel: pH 2.82 TA 9.5
-- Cabernet Blush: pH 2.90 TA 10.0

Note: the latter two were inexpensive concentrates made to 19l rather
than 23l.

Pasteurized Juice:

-- Frascati: pH 3.14 TA 7.75
-- Soave: pH 3.44 TA 6.4
-- Gewurtzramininer pH 3.25 TA 6.9
-- Merlot: pH 3.53 TA 6.5
-- Gamay: pH 3.54 TA 7.6

Country Wines:

-- Blueberry pH 3.14 TA 8.0
-- Apricot pH 3.50 TA 8.0
-- Crabapple/Apple pH 3.23 TA 9.3
-- Rhubarb pH 3.21 TA 7.5

I tested free S02 on just a few samples. More Titrets on order.

Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. I can clearly see how
kits made to 19l instead of 23l throw off the balance. Perhaps it's
not too late to dilute. Is Acidex an option? Blending? Cold Stab?

The taste test surprised me. All of the above are 7-8 months old.
Nothing tasted very interesting or good. I expected a "young wine
holding promise" taste by now in most of them. The country wines hold
the most promise on the taste test - that really surprises me (the CWs
are all off dry).

Thanks, Jim

I did make a kit wine with too little water and then diluted later with no
problem. Actually it did taste watery right after I diluted and I thought
it was destined for the drain, but a few months later it was fine.

Ray

"glad heart" > wrote in message
om...
> Finally had a chance to pull out my chemistry set yesterday. Here are
> the results:
>
> Kits:
>
> -- BK Carmenere Malbec: pH 3.27 TA 7.5
> -- White Zinfandel: pH 2.82 TA 9.5
> -- Cabernet Blush: pH 2.90 TA 10.0
>
> Note: the latter two were inexpensive concentrates made to 19l rather
> than 23l.
>
> Pasteurized Juice:
>
> -- Frascati: pH 3.14 TA 7.75
> -- Soave: pH 3.44 TA 6.4
> -- Gewurtzramininer pH 3.25 TA 6.9
> -- Merlot: pH 3.53 TA 6.5
> -- Gamay: pH 3.54 TA 7.6
>
> Country Wines:
>
> -- Blueberry pH 3.14 TA 8.0
> -- Apricot pH 3.50 TA 8.0
> -- Crabapple/Apple pH 3.23 TA 9.3
> -- Rhubarb pH 3.21 TA 7.5
>
> I tested free S02 on just a few samples. More Titrets on order.
>
> Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. I can clearly see how
> kits made to 19l instead of 23l throw off the balance. Perhaps it's
> not too late to dilute. Is Acidex an option? Blending? Cold Stab?
>
> The taste test surprised me. All of the above are 7-8 months old.
> Nothing tasted very interesting or good. I expected a "young wine
> holding promise" taste by now in most of them. The country wines hold
> the most promise on the taste test - that really surprises me (the CWs
> are all off dry).
>
> Thanks, Jim

"glad heart" > wrote in message
om...
> Finally had a chance to pull out my chemistry set yesterday. Here are
> the results:
>
> Kits:
>
> -- BK Carmenere Malbec: pH 3.27 TA 7.5
> -- White Zinfandel: pH 2.82 TA 9.5
> -- Cabernet Blush: pH 2.90 TA 10.0
>
> Note: the latter two were inexpensive concentrates made to 19l rather
> than 23l.
>
> Pasteurized Juice:
>
> -- Frascati: pH 3.14 TA 7.75
> -- Soave: pH 3.44 TA 6.4
> -- Gewurtzramininer pH 3.25 TA 6.9
> -- Merlot: pH 3.53 TA 6.5
> -- Gamay: pH 3.54 TA 7.6
>
> Country Wines:
>
> -- Blueberry pH 3.14 TA 8.0
> -- Apricot pH 3.50 TA 8.0
> -- Crabapple/Apple pH 3.23 TA 9.3
> -- Rhubarb pH 3.21 TA 7.5
>
> I tested free S02 on just a few samples. More Titrets on order.
>
> Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. I can clearly see how
> kits made to 19l instead of 23l throw off the balance. Perhaps it's
> not too late to dilute. Is Acidex an option? Blending? Cold Stab?
>
> The taste test surprised me. All of the above are 7-8 months old.
> Nothing tasted very interesting or good. I expected a "young wine
> holding promise" taste by now in most of them. The country wines hold
> the most promise on the taste test - that really surprises me (the CWs
> are all off dry).
>
> Thanks, Jim

Jim, there is an old saying in the wine industry........"a little sugar in
the wine will cover a world of sins."
Lum
Del Mar, California, USA

All of those TA's look too high to me, some way too high. I usually
shoot for a TA of 6.0 to 6.5 in a dry white, 0.5 less on a dry red. A
bit of sugar is another option as Lum mentioned, and the TA can be in
some of those ranges with a little sugar. (I am not of the pH is
everything camp, it just does not work for me. Taste is everything, I
get more predictable results from TA values than pH. I use pH too,
but not for balancing.)

Whatever you do, test it first. Acidex is mostly calcium carbonate
with seed material as I recall. That's a bad idea on a wine near
bottling, I made that mistake already. You may have crystals dropping
out for months. 1 g/l TA makes a huge difference in my opinion, try
bumping a sample down with potassium carbonate or bicarbonate, chill
it and see what you think.
Regards,
Joe


"Lum" > wrote in message >...
> "glad heart" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Finally had a chance to pull out my chemistry set yesterday. Here are
> > the results:
> >
> > Kits:
> >
> > -- BK Carmenere Malbec: pH 3.27 TA 7.5
> > -- White Zinfandel: pH 2.82 TA 9.5
> > -- Cabernet Blush: pH 2.90 TA 10.0
> >
> > Note: the latter two were inexpensive concentrates made to 19l rather
> > than 23l.
> >
> > Pasteurized Juice:
> >
> > -- Frascati: pH 3.14 TA 7.75
> > -- Soave: pH 3.44 TA 6.4
> > -- Gewurtzramininer pH 3.25 TA 6.9
> > -- Merlot: pH 3.53 TA 6.5
> > -- Gamay: pH 3.54 TA 7.6
> >
> > Country Wines:
> >
> > -- Blueberry pH 3.14 TA 8.0
> > -- Apricot pH 3.50 TA 8.0
> > -- Crabapple/Apple pH 3.23 TA 9.3
> > -- Rhubarb pH 3.21 TA 7.5
> >
> > I tested free S02 on just a few samples. More Titrets on order.
> >
> > Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. I can clearly see how
> > kits made to 19l instead of 23l throw off the balance. Perhaps it's
> > not too late to dilute. Is Acidex an option? Blending? Cold Stab?
> >
> > The taste test surprised me. All of the above are 7-8 months old.
> > Nothing tasted very interesting or good. I expected a "young wine
> > holding promise" taste by now in most of them. The country wines hold
> > the most promise on the taste test - that really surprises me (the CWs
> > are all off dry).
> >
> > Thanks, Jim
>
> Jim, there is an old saying in the wine industry........"a little sugar in
> the wine will cover a world of sins."
> Lum
> Del Mar, California, USA

Thanks for your comments Joe. I'll try the chalk with cold stab on
the two kits with off the map numbers. I was attracted to the
efficiency of Acidex at first but your experience steered me away.
Here's a site that helped me as well:
http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/acidph.htm

Regards, Jim