Hi Folks,

Have not been so active in the cellar lately. Have four 23l carboys
that have been sitting for a while (2 whites, 2 reds). Was hoping to
bottle. In all four cases the taste is pretty good but lacks
interest. A little bland. I think a little acid blend should fix.

I know I should be more scientific but I'm just looking for a rule of
thumb, and a way to make wine without it consuming my life right now.
Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful? Or more?
Example: my Riesling should be crisp, not soft. I'd like to finish
these wines by taste rather than numbers.

TIA, Jim

Yeah, 1 tsp can make a definate difference.

Hello,
I'm not sure how much 1 tsp acid blend would have on a 23l (almost 6 gallon
container)? When I make my 1 gallon fruit wines I add at least 1 tsp acid
blend. Having said that, I don't make grape wines, just fruit and veggie
wines, so hopefully some others seasoned veterans will chime in. Have you
checked Jack and Lum's sites?
Darlene


"glad heart" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi Folks,
>
> Have not been so active in the cellar lately. Have four 23l carboys
> that have been sitting for a while (2 whites, 2 reds). Was hoping to
> bottle. In all four cases the taste is pretty good but lacks
> interest. A little bland. I think a little acid blend should fix.
>
> I know I should be more scientific but I'm just looking for a rule of
> thumb, and a way to make wine without it consuming my life right now.
> Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful? Or more?
> Example: my Riesling should be crisp, not soft. I'd like to finish
> these wines by taste rather than numbers.
>
> TIA, Jim
>

It will raise the TA by around 0.02 g/l so it may or may not be
noticable. It's always better to start in smaller increments anyway.

Joe
glad heart wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> Have not been so active in the cellar lately. Have four 23l carboys
> that have been sitting for a while (2 whites, 2 reds). Was hoping to
> bottle. In all four cases the taste is pretty good but lacks
> interest. A little bland. I think a little acid blend should fix.
>
> I know I should be more scientific but I'm just looking for a rule of
> thumb, and a way to make wine without it consuming my life right now.
> Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful? Or more?
> Example: my Riesling should be crisp, not soft. I'd like to finish
> these wines by taste rather than numbers.
>
> TIA, Jim

"glad heart" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi Folks,
>
> Have not been so active in the cellar lately. Have four 23l carboys
> that have been sitting for a while (2 whites, 2 reds). Was hoping to
> bottle. In all four cases the taste is pretty good but lacks
> interest. A little bland. I think a little acid blend should fix.
>
> I know I should be more scientific but I'm just looking for a rule of
> thumb, and a way to make wine without it consuming my life right now.
> Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful? Or more?
> Example: my Riesling should be crisp, not soft. I'd like to finish
> these wines by taste rather than numbers.

Then that's exactly what you should do!

I'd recommend against acid blend at this point though because you said
you're about to bottle. The malic acid in that could restart ML in the
bottle and you could end up with corks shooting off in the middle of the
night. Use tartaric.

Tom S

glad heart wrote:
> > Would adding 1 tsp. acid blend to 23 litres be meaningful?

Joe Sallustio wrote:
> It will raise the TA by around 0.02 g/l so it may or may not be
> noticable. It's always better to start in smaller increments anyway.

I think you mean *0.2* g/l. I'd say of some, but not high,
significance.

Ben

Thanks for the comments everyone. I did use tartaric instead of acid
blend based on your suggestion Tom. Not only is the malic an
post-bottling MLF concern but I think it has a harsher taste than
tartaric, and not an acid you want more of than necessary in a grape
wine. I was trying to avoid spending $32 for way more tartaric acid
than I'll ever know what to do with.

Point of interest: To my bland and dull 23 litre Riesling I added 1
tsp tartaric acid at a time, stirred thoroughly and then taste tested.
I was excited with each addition how much more fresh and crisp it was
becoming. After 3 tsp it was good but not quite there yet. Added 1/2
tsp more and found it went ever the edge. Lost it's characteristic
Riesling grape flavour. Now have a fresh, crisp "tartaric acid" wine.

I know, I know. Should have done a bench test with smaller volume.
Just wanted to point out something I've been learning with additions of
any kind: not enough can very quickly become too much. Therefore be
careful.

Perhaps sweetening a little at this point may recover?

Jim

"glad heart" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I was excited with each addition how much more fresh and crisp it was
> becoming. After 3 tsp it was good but not quite there yet. Added 1/2
> tsp more and found it went ever the edge. Lost it's characteristic
> Riesling grape flavour. Now have a fresh, crisp "tartaric acid" wine.
>
> I know, I know. Should have done a bench test with smaller volume.
> Just wanted to point out something I've been learning with additions of
> any kind: not enough can very quickly become too much. Therefore be
> careful.
>
> Perhaps sweetening a little at this point may recover?

Try chilling out the bitartrate. That may do the trick.

Tom S

The tartaric acid will mellow over time, i had the same problem with a
flabby mango wine to which i added too much tartaric. (10 tsp) to 25l. After
a month in bulk storage from when i added the acid it was way less
noticable.
All the best. Chris.

"glad heart" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for the comments everyone. I did use tartaric instead of acid
> blend based on your suggestion Tom. Not only is the malic an
> post-bottling MLF concern but I think it has a harsher taste than
> tartaric, and not an acid you want more of than necessary in a grape
> wine. I was trying to avoid spending $32 for way more tartaric acid
> than I'll ever know what to do with.
>
> Point of interest: To my bland and dull 23 litre Riesling I added 1
> tsp tartaric acid at a time, stirred thoroughly and then taste tested.
> I was excited with each addition how much more fresh and crisp it was
> becoming. After 3 tsp it was good but not quite there yet. Added 1/2
> tsp more and found it went ever the edge. Lost it's characteristic
> Riesling grape flavour. Now have a fresh, crisp "tartaric acid" wine.
>
> I know, I know. Should have done a bench test with smaller volume.
> Just wanted to point out something I've been learning with additions of
> any kind: not enough can very quickly become too much. Therefore be
> careful.
>
> Perhaps sweetening a little at this point may recover?
>
> Jim
>