Wine whine

[DanielB]

So...after a fairly long wine making journey and having made what are frankly fairly not very nice fruit wines..it turns out I "may not have turned the page" on the instructions...and found out all about pH and acidity in my fruit wines!

This I am guessing is why they often taste rather "astringent"...nail varnish removery...acidic!?

These will be "finished" wines, in demijohns, cleared....and standing for a good 12months plus....fruit wines...rhubarb, grape, apple...etc...

Sometimes they have been passable...but more often than not, not(!). Perhaps I have missed something important!!

So...I am looking for direction on:

How to test my wines acidity...
What I will then need to adjust that.

Thank yoU!!

 

[Stevieboy]

OVER-ACIDITY. A slight over-acidity can often be corrected by stirring up any yeast deposit and causing a malo-lactic ferment. With a strong wine slight dilution will help to reduce acidity, and with a weak, dry one the overacidity can often be masked (but not corrected) by the addition of a little sugar. BEST Remedy: Add glycerine, at the rate of 5 %, or 1 pint to 2 ½ galls. A third of an ounce of procipitated chalk to 1 gallon (preferably added before fermentation) will also correct over-acidity. Added afterwards it may leave a taste.

Courtesy of CJJ Berry.