How to add acidity to a wine with natural ingredients

[JT101]

Another brain teaser for you

I wonder if in those dusty old french recipe books in a farmhouse somewhere, there is a cheap and cheeful non-precise suggestion for adding acid (tartaric, malic and citric) to wine with local produce?

Now tartaric obviously comes from grapes. But adding more grapes won't help in their normal form

Malic acid is high in very green apples such as crab and granny smith

Citric acid would have to come from lemons (if grown in a greenhouse) or red / black currants or gooseberries.

Any ideas on quantities and techniques?

Maybe no-one ever bothered.

 

[Yooper]

Well, a squeeze of lemon has been a traditional way to add citric acid for ages, but it's definitely not local.

 

[JT101]

Well, I've been doing some digging myself and this is what I've come up with so far


Nutrient – Maybe replace the shop bought powdered yeast nutrient with either sultanas, yeast extract or malt extract?

Citric acid – Yeah, the obvious substitute would be lemon juice, but given that it’s difficult to grow in the UK, could I add a proportion of other citric acid rich fruits e.g. red currants, gooseberry, blackcurrant, tomatoes, strawberries, rasperries?

Malic acid – Add japonica quinces or crab apples to increase this acid

Tartaric acid – Well this one is pretty much impossible, given that it comes from grapes. If my grapes are low in tartaric acid, then I can’t just add more grapes I suppose. Not sure about this one.

Tannin - Fruit stalks, stones or cores, chestnut or oak chips, plant galls, herbs, spices, nuts, berries

Any comments on effectiveness and suggested quantities welcome

thanks

 

[Twerp129]

Well, I've been doing some digging myself and this is what I've come up with so far


Nutrient – Maybe replace the shop bought powdered yeast nutrient with either sultanas, yeast extract or malt extract?

Citric acid – Yeah, the obvious substitute would be lemon juice, but given that it’s difficult to grow in the UK, could I add a proportion of other citric acid rich fruits e.g. red currants, gooseberry, blackcurrant, tomatoes, strawberries, rasperries?

Malic acid – Add japonica quinces or crab apples to increase this acid

Tartaric acid – Well this one is pretty much impossible, given that it comes from grapes. If my grapes are low in tartaric acid, then I can’t just add more grapes I suppose. Not sure about this one.

Tannin - Fruit stalks, stones or cores, chestnut or oak chips, plant galls, herbs, spices, nuts, berries

Any comments on effectiveness and suggested quantities welcome

thanks

In almost no instance would you ever add citric or malic to a wine. Adding citric in any decent quantity can start a whole mass of problems and malic, why bother? Tartaric, tannin and nutrient are all derived from grapes or wine yeast. Why not use these?

As for the wine industry, they've figured out balance by blending. Be it different grapes, plots, barrels. As well as techniques like adding water, passing over skins, fortification, saignees, etc.

 

[JT101]

Well Twerp129, I have two situations.

One is using English grown grapes which as you are aware are lacking at least in sugar. I have a couple of batches on the go which I haven't tried yet, and maybe they'll turn out ok, but I won't get involved in any of the wine industry techniques.

And as far as never adding malic or tartaric acid you must be referring to only grape wines right? Certainly country wines very often call for different acids to be added. And this is the other type of wine I brew.

So I'm guessing i may have slightly poor quality English grapes (compared with their continental cousins), and country wines that lack all the essentials of a grape. So in my mind, surely there is more to be added to make them a good quality, rather than mediocre wine.

 

[Yooper]

Sure, but generally non-wine grapes are lacking in sugar but very high in acidity, so acid generally isn't used in those.

Many other fruits are very acidic as well, but in wines like dandelion I will add some citrus fruit and acid blend for acidity.

County wines like raspberry, native grape, blackberries, apples, etc tend to be very high in malic acid so no more is added. In fact, MLF is often done to reduce the malic acid, or things like calcium carbonate added to reduce the total acid.

Rhubarb wine is high in oxalic acid, so often calcium carbonate is added to reduce acid in it as well.

It's really not that common for county wines to need acidity at all, and most people try to reduce it.

 

[JT101]

Sure, but generally non-wine grapes are lacking in sugar but very high in acidity, so acid generally isn't used in those.

Many other fruits are very acidic as well, but in wines like dandelion I will add some citrus fruit and acid blend for acidity.

County wines like raspberry, native grape, blackberries, apples, etc tend to be very high in malic acid so no more is added. In fact, MLF is often done to reduce the malic acid, or things like calcium carbonate added to reduce the total acid.

Rhubarb wine is high in oxalic acid, so often calcium carbonate is added to reduce acid in it as well.

It's really not that common for county wines to need acidity at all, and most people try to reduce it.

Great stuff. What about tannins if they're a bit low? Do you think any of the things i suggested would work, and in what quantities?

 

[Yooper]

Great stuff. What about tannins if they're a bit low? Do you think any of the things i suggested would work, and in what quantities?

Oak provides tannins, but I'm not sure what else would be effective for adding wood tannins. For fruit, elderberries give some tannic notes. But neither is a decent sub for actual powdered grape tannin or wine grape skins.

 

[cla]

I have heard mangoes can add tannin. I used them in the first pear wine I made when I didn't have anything else to add tannin on hand.

 

[bernardsmith]

Chestnuts, I think, are high in tannins as is, I believe black tea