[Dave Burt]

Reply to this topic to post your chemistry results and any planned adjustments for the 2017 Merlot.

Notes on these grapes:
In summer 2017 we lost our source of Osoyoos Merlot when Dan Danis sold his vineyard to Bordertown Vineyard and Winery. At the same time, the Okanagan went from having surplus grapes in 2016, to a grape deficit in 2017. Merlot prices went from $2400/ton in 2016 to $3000/ton or greater in 2017. Various inquiries and leads for a replacement source were unsuccessful. However, late in the season Jeff was able to find us a reputable source from Osoyoos. Cropping rate for this new source is 3.5 tons/acre, which is quite low for Merlot. This shows that the grower is serious about producing quality grapes.

[Dave Burt]

Here are my chemistry numbers for the 2017 Merlot. The sample was drawn off a pail at the crush.
Brix 25.4
pH 3.65
TA 3.6
YAN 112

We will be adding water to bring the Brix down to 24, and acid to raise the TA to 6.2. As with the Pinot Noir, the TA reading seems low so I will be curious to see what others get.

[Anonymous]

Brix 25
PH 3.59
TA 3.7
YAN 96

Yes, there will be an acid adjustment!

[Franco Sartor]

Hello everyone, here are my numbers…

Brix 26, Ph 3.62 T/A 4.2

Have a time constraint and will not be doing a cold soak.
Started Yeast 1118, with Go-Ferm…
Pitched Yeast Sunday morning, and Must is doing fine.
No bad smells as of Monday evening…
Will Feed with Ferm aid in the AM,,,
Ciao

[Anonymous]

I’ve tested my must after adding 2 litres of water and ~2 g/L tartaric yesterday (still in cold soak).

Brix 24.7
pH 3.39
TA 4.9
There must still be 0.8 g/L tartaric that is still not dissolved. pH is a bit high, wish I would have added less tartaric now. Will start fermentation now

[Chris Gebhard]

My numbers:
Brix 25
pH 3.68
TA 5.4

Can’t understand why my TA is so much higher than what’s in the other posts. I calibrated my meter with fresh solution and repeated the test 3 times.

Must is cold soaking at 4C. I added the yeast today but will continue the soak until Saturday.

[Robin McNeil]

I settled some juice overnight and today got the following:
Brix 27 (sg 1112) and
TA 4.2.
I don’t have a functioning pH pen.

[Dave Burt]

Looking at the numbers above, I am seeing a disconnect between the pH and TA. A low TA (low acid) usually results in a high pH (>3.7). This is particularly so in the numbers reported by Ian and myself. For the most part, pH seems to be in the range 3.6 to 3.7. This is actually pretty good for a grape with a Brix of 25-27. For a grape with a pH of 3.6-37 I would expect a TA in the 4’s or 5’s, not in the 3’s. This makes me suspect some of the low TA’s reported.

I would recommend that people err on the side of caution when adding their acidified water. Try half of it, stir the must well, and check your pH again. If you get a pH of less than 3.5, you are heading into the realm of whites and you might want to stop your acid addition their (in other words, your initial TA reading is suspect).