Experiments with pH in Wine-Making

[@robertbowker7766]

Great education on balancing ph!

[@CraftyWiners]

Thank you :)

[@johngilder9002]

Great information

[@Johnny76624]

With Potassium bicarbonate it's recommended to not exceed 1g per liter or the equivalent in grams per gallon. The same amount is probably for potassium carbonate too, but it moves the pH more which makes it better for musts which have really low pH. While calcium carbonate's effect on pH is fast and is best choice for flavor as it doesn't have a salty flavor like potassium, it makes a precipitate with tartaric acid which takes months to drop out (calcium tartrate). Calcium carbonate is best for fruit wines and meads which have no tartaric acid and for wines which are gonna be bulk aged for 6-12 months.

[@CraftyWiners]

Thanks for this! We’re currently editing an update to this video that has much more info in it (at almost an hour long), and it’s going to contain some of the things you’ve pointed out here. It should be released on 08/18/24. :)

[@larryabbott4633]

Great video, after watching I was surprised by some of the results. Calcium Carbonate was particularly interesting due to the cloudy results, causing me to reconsider its use. It would have been helpful to see you calibrate the meter and use a storage solution. When I hear or have a stuck fermentation PH is the first thing I suggest checking.

[@CraftyWiners]

Great idea for another video! Thanks for watching!!

[@2008synack]

Are you sure about the 4-6 pH? I believe most vintners keep pH around 3 - 3.5. Anything above 4 would put the wine at risk of spoilage from bacterias. Also 4-6 is a WIDE pH range. that's 2 whole orders of magnitude. 7 is neutral, so a pH of 6 would taste really flabby. While it's true that the optimal growth pH for most yeast is 4-6, S. cerevisiae (most wine yeasts) is tolerant to a pH of 2.

[@CraftyWiners]

We only use the 4-6 PH range for initial fermentation (typically closer to 4). However prior to bottling we adjust the PH to between 3 - 3.7 depending on the type of wine.

[@2008synack]

@@CraftyWiners Gotcha. I suppose that can be done however, raising the pH of grape must for fermentation with carbonates (Na/Ca/K) will change the taste and then lowering it again after seems like a lot of needless effort. But as long as it's not aging at high pH... that should be fine I guess. I'll admit I didn't make through the entire video and my apologies if you explained that already. I just saw the 4-6 pH and shrieked :D. Didn't want your fans to start getting sick or tossing bad wine.

[@cecilpresgraves9897]

More informative input. I need to start getting my materials collected so I'm ready to roll.

[@farissa6961]

Pls i need your help .. this my sixth days in fermntation white wine and ph is 2.1??? What that mean and why its too low .. and is it okey?? Can i put clacuim carb and make it good?

[@CraftyWiners]

2.1 is very low, what was it prior to adding the yeast? Yeast likes it to be between 4-6 so that low of a PH can cause the wine to stop fermenting. Is that the case? If so we can give you some tips on trying to get it started back up.

[@farissa6961]

@@CraftyWiners the fermntaition is do good i cheacked gravety before two days and today is continuous go to 1.000 Bubbling is working Maybe the ph meter is bad?? How can i make sure is the reading correct I added acid blend and nutreint before yeast I have 5 gallon I put arround 2.5 tsp acid blend Same with pectolaize I added 5 campden tablet Thats it

[@CraftyWiners]

Did you take the PH reading before adding the acid blend?

[@farissa6961]

@@CraftyWiners no i forgot

[@CraftyWiners]

That could be the problem then. It may not have needed it. You can use Calcium Carbonate to raise the PH but if it is still fermenting I'm not sure I would mess with it. If it does go dry you can adjust the PH when you rack it. Also PH meters can be tricky. If you suspect it isn't correct you can calibrate it. Also make sure to rinse it with distilled water after using and the probe needs to be stored moist. We keep a piece of paper towel moistened with sanitizing solution in the lid to keep it from drying out.

[@Ajibolaa]

20:08 you guys just discovered a neutralization reaction 😂