Reducing PH?

[immana]

Relative newbie here- in my 3rd year of winemaking.

This past fall I pressed from cab and merlot grapes producing 18 gallons. I did add malo bacteria, which seems to have pushed my PH levels. My PH readings are currently between 4.0 and 4.10 (each carboy is slightly different). I've read this is not ideal and can lead to bacteria growth.

So, what is the recommended method to reduce my PH? And where do I want it to level off? Thanks!

 

[bernardsmith]

Tartaric acid is the predominant acid found in grapes. You could try adding some tartaric but it sounds as if these grapes were not optimal. Not sure how much tartaric you would need to add to 18 gallons to bring your pH down by a factor of 10 (from 4 to 3).