Raising the acidity of a country wine (Brewing)

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I have used some plums from our trees here to make wine in the past and wasn't satisfied with the acidity of the finished product. It tasted flat and had to be blended with other wines to improve the flavor to my taste. Last season I tried adding a teaspoon of lemon juice concentrate with the 5 gallons of juiced plums instead of chemical acid blends prior to fermenting. After 9 months of secondary fermentation and bulk aging on white oak, the finished wine shows enough acidity to improve the taste when compared to the previous seasons yeild and the lemon isn't noticable in the taste or bouquet.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 11, 2001

Answers

Most beer and wine supply houses carry "acid blend" which is made specifically for this purpose. It is also wise to have a test kit, so you'll know when you've added enough, especially with a new recipe. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), May 11, 2001.

Acid blends are the most effective approach, however some blends contain sulphites. I utilized this approach to ensure a clean bottling for my father who has sulpha reactions.

-- Jay Blair in N. Al (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 11, 2001.

My plum wine recipe calls for 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon - this would be a lot more than you added. We've found plums best suited to a dessert wine, so the lack of acidity doesn't bother us.

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), May 12, 2001.

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