How much

[Mr impatient]

Just a quick one guys, I managed to get 3.9 Kilo of rosehips when cleaned and toped, I was planning on two gallons/demijohns which would give me about 4LB of rosehips per gallon, dose that sound about right or do I need to go hunting round for more?

 

[Masbustelo]

Jack Keller has a recipe posted where he says 2-3.5 pounds per gallon. He says you need to age it two years afterward. Check the acidity of the must as well.

 

[Mr impatient]

Jack Keller has a recipe posted where he says 2-3.5 pounds per gallon. He says you need to age it two years afterward. Check the acidity of the must as well.

How do I check acidity and what do I do if its to high or to low?

I had a go at this three years ago, I made 1 gallon with about 4Lb of rosehips, it was a verry good young wine/infant wine, it didn't last long it was scrummy. I did notice that this time when I boiled them they smelled of stewed plumbs.

How do or what do I do to find the post from the number?

 

[bernardsmith]

There are two or three factors associated with acidity.
1. pH affects storage not flavor. The lower the pH (the higher the strength of the acids in the wine, the less K-meta you need (free SO2) to inhibit oxidation and spoilage as the wine ages. The higher the pH the more free SO2 the wine requires.
2. TA (titratable acidity) - is a measure of the amount - not the strength - of the acids present and the amount of acids affects taste. A TA of about 6 - 6.5 g/L of wine of tartaric acid (or equivalent) makes for a bright , clean tasting wine. But this is all about taste - so you can taste the wine to see if it is sharp enough or too sharp or too meh. Or you can measure the wine using a pH meter and sodium hydroxide to neutralize the acid. (color indicators indicating neutralization (and so the amount of base you needed to add to neutralize the acid from which the TA is then calculated ) will change at a pH of 8.2 so you can forgo the use of indicators and simply use a pH meter to test for TA.

 

[Mr impatient]

LOL I need to be a chemist, Thanks bernardsmith, I know you know your stuff because you have explained and helped me before with other problems, the only thing is I am unable to afford these test kits, I can get a hydroponic PH test meter from amazon for £10, but in an overcrowded house where bottles of wine are stored outside in the shed, the log store, on top of the wardrobe and under the bed more equipment is just out of my reach (my youngest son does 12th century re-enactment and I have to accompany him and this takes loads of kit).

I make wine because it is cheeper than buying it, as my wife keeps pointing out to me when I buy basic stuff like yeast and sterilising tablets. From everything so far for four years now I have only had one bad demijohn, a few have been OK and most have been good and a few exceptional. I don't mind not knowing how things happen with the why's and the wherefores as long as they keep happening for the better.

You guys show me up for the skin of my teeth fella that I am, your knowledge will come in handy for me one day when I retire and my little one has grown up and doesn't need me, LOL Amazon sell stills LOL I can't wait (although the missus says they are illegal).

 

[bernardsmith]

You really don't need to be a chemist or invest in a lab. People have been making wine since before we knew how to write and so before recorded history.

Here's the thing, Mr impatient, (and this is my opinion - and not anything writ in stone) unless you are making large volumes of wine and you are in the business of selling the wine and so have a reason to focus on consistency between and among batches OR you are a competition freak and you need your wines to be best of show at every competition - and you send entries to every competition) the need to know the precise measure of pH or TA seems to me to be a little unnecessary. For TA - your tongue is a really good instrument and if you think that YOURS is not, then your wife's tongue or your friends' tongues will tell you enough to know whether your wine is blah, is too tart or is just right.

As for pH: add the equivalent of 1 campden tablet to each gallon each time you rack (assuming that racking is done every two or three months) and just before you bottle if you intend to allow that batch to age in the bottle.

You can treat wine making like rocket science and the wine will very likely return the favor, or you can treat your wine making like a pleasurable activity that gives you and those you know joy and the wine will return that favor too. Wine making is as much art as it is science but when it becomes "science" it is not necessarily "art". If, however, it becomes "art" then (IMO) the science will take care of itself.

 

[Mr impatient]

Here it is, two demijohns of rosehip liquor.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

You really don't need to be a chemist or invest in a lab. People have been making wine since before we knew how to write and so before recorded history...

...You can treat wine making like rocket science and the wine will very likely return the favor, or you can treat your wine making like a pleasurable activity that gives you and those you know joy and the wine will return that favor too. Wine making is as much art as it is science but when it becomes "science" it is not necessarily "art". If, however, it becomes "art" then (IMO) the science will take care of itself.

Bernardsmith, I like your philosophy on wine making! In the few years I have been doing wines and ciders, I have found that if I follow sound basic practices, I have really nice results. My wife and I enjoy the wines, and my friends are amazed that I can make something so nice from my own berries. It is a win win, and the "art" of it brings me much enjoyment.