[Dave Burt]

The Cabernet Sauvignon from Jeff Crowley was picked on October 17 and received on October 19, 2016. A sample sent to Penticton Wine Lab gave as YAN of 153 mg N/L (medium).

Post your chemistry results for Jeff’s Cabernet Sauvignon here, as well as planned adjustments.

[Sandy Bellows]

My numbers and comments on this grape are such: TA: .75, PH: 3.55, SG 1096. Good nose, little to no mold, well formed clusters. Should make a nice, lighter Cab Sauv wine.

[Norm Lemmen]

My numbers are very different. SG is the same 1.095 Brix 23.1 Acid 4.6 g/l pH 3.98. I am using a new pH meter so will wait for more postings before I adjust the must. These numbers are consistent with the Okanagan grapes we brought in prior to 2005 when we moved to California.

[Norm Lemmen]

I adjusted my must with 3 g/l tartaric. pH 3.48 – Acid 7.3 g/l

[Dave Burt]

Hi Sandy,
Your TA seems excessively high for these grapes. I have got these levels of TA in the past when attempting to do a TA on unsettled juice. The suspended organics seem to gobble up your NaOH solution resulting in an excessively high reading. Brix and pH are less affected, but for TA it is essential that you draw off a sample, let it settle in the fridge overnight, draw off the clear portion that sits on the top, then do your TA on that portion AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.

Of course it is also important to have a calibrated pH meter and fresh NaOH solution (NaOH takes on oxygen over time).
-Dave

[Anonymous]

250 lbs
Brix: 22.5
pH: 3.61
2 day cold soak
Will try a TA test and pH measure later, so far I am happy with the pH and Brix

[Peter Huyghebaert]

My numbers after 4 day cold soak:

Brix 23.5, SG 1.093, pH3.92, TA 5.2

I will add 1.5g/l tartaric and measure again tomorrow.

So far no signs of wild yeast and the colour is extracting very well.

[Cindy Scott]

My numbers using the MoreWine Guide to Red Winemaking process of blending sample in blender, straining and then putting thru coffee filter (which I did in the fridge overnight):

ph 3.94 TA 5.2 brix 1.100

Numbers using regular process of settling wine, putting in fridge, bringing to room temp:
ph 3.91 TA 5.6

I added 2g/l tartaric acid and am using D254 yeast. Cap is up and smells good.

First time doing fresh grapes in 14 years – usually we freeze and ferment in January. I forgot about fruit flies! the vacuum and apple cider vinegar traps have been busy.

Today’s ph was 3.53 and acid 7.8

[Anonymous]

There were a lot of whole berries in this crush, I think that may be the cause for my pH variance. I tried to check the TA but there was CO2 in the sample and still too many whole berries to trust the test, it was low.
After my first comment above, the next pH test was 3.78, I added 3/4 g/l tartaric and tested a day or two later and the pH came down to 3.65. I tested it again today and it was 3.53. I can taste a lot of acid and I am still very happy with these grapes.

[Doug Markin]

Here are my numbers after 5 days of cold soaking. I clarified a sample and let it warm to room temperature of 21C prior to testing.
Brix: 22.2
SG: 1.095
pH: 3.88
TA: 4.88
I added 2 g/L Tartaric Acid and pitched D254. Cap is up and smells good so far. I also adjusted my Brix to 23.