In this episode of the Winemaker’s Academy Podcast I go through the recommended values for various chemistry related aspects of wine such as:
- pH
- Titratable Acidity
- Alcohol
- Residual Sugar
- Sulfites
For each of these I share the recommended values you can shoot for when making wine to help produce a more balanced wine. As you’ll hear in the show I don’t recommend making wine by the numbers and you certainly shouldn’t see these ranges as hard and fast rules. There may certainly be great wines with chemistry outside of these ranges but it is helpful to know where most balanced wines fall on the various scales.
Aside from starting with great fruit and keeping your wine safe from spoilage getting the chemistry right is just as important to making a better bottle of wine.
Questions Answered
- How can I lower my final specific gravity?
- When is wine technically start aging?
- Is it okay to use a sanitizer composed of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid?
Resources Mentioned
- Winemaker’s Answer Book by Alison Crowe
- Wine Alcohol Content Calculator
- Winemaker Magazine Measuring Residual Sugar
- Calculating Correct Sulfite Levels
- Kurt’s Temperature Control System
Photograph by: CaptMikey9 (license)