Is MLF working????

[Mark Kissel]

Made a kit Chardonnay (MV Winemakers Reserve), and thought i would run it through MLF as I have read if adds to a wine of this type. Did primary down to SG of .994, racked, checked PH 3.24, and Free SO2, 8PPM or less. Have not checked total SO2, but might if nothing changes. Inoculated with Vinifora CH16 with rehydration additives with the wine @70 degrees. A week later, no signs of any type of fermentation. No bubbles of activity. Have stirred every 3 days or so. After a week, tried to re-inoculate with the same culture. 4 days later, nothing. Is it doing the trick? I guess Ill just sit on it and go through the actions for a month or so and test it.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Mark

 

[RPh_Guy]

Have not checked total SO2

How does one measure total SO2?

PH 3.24

The pH is possibly too low for the bacteria to function. The description of this culture days it works best at pH 3.4 (or higher).

A week later, no signs of any type of fermentation. No bubbles of activity.

Bacteria don't produce bubbling and kräusen like yeast. You'll need to monitor pH and/or TA.

 

[Mark Kissel]

Rats, you are right. checked the website for the bacteria and they say 3.4 or higher. I guess ill let her age and see if ph rises. Maybe try again...thanks

 

[Seamonkey84]

I’ve read you should not do a MLF on kit wines, they have already been ph adjusted.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I’ve read you should not do a MLF on kit wines, they have already been ph adjusted.

MLF does a lot more than change the pH.

Rats, you are right. checked the website for the bacteria and they say 3.4 or higher. I guess ill let her age and see if ph rises. Maybe try again...thanks

You can adjust the pH upward yourself so the bacteria can function, if you want. Make a stock solution of potassium carbonate and do a bench trial to see how much you need.

 

[chicken]

I don't have a whole lot of experience with MLF, but my understanding is that it can take a number of weeks to complete, and that there may be little or no visual sign that anything is happening (for example, one of my carboys undergoing MLF produced very tiny bubbles, another showed no signs at all). The only way to be certain if it has happened is to do a chromatography test.

Also, I have read that you should not use potassium sorbate after MLF, because it will create a terrible geranium-like odor.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The only way to be certain if it has happened is to do a chromatography test.

Not true. TA will change. The pH will also probably change, but it's not as good for monitoring purposes.
Malic acid is diprotic whereas lactic acid is monoprotic.

I have read that you should not use potassium sorbate after MLF, because it will create a terrible geranium-like odor.

It is perfectly fine to use potassium sorbate after MLF if you also use sulfite. Sulfite prevents the bacteria from forming the off-flavor.
For this reason you should ALWAYS use sulfite along with potassium sorbate.

Cheers

 

[Mark Kissel]

Thanks for all the input all. To touch on some questions presented. Total SO2 measured using the test meter SC300 I purchased from MoreWine. The system works good and is a good way to make sure I dont screw things up and adjust before bottling. As for the question of doing MLF on kit wines, I have read that also. But some say it can make a good wine great, so i thought i would give it a try on some wines. Would probably need to adjust PH back after MOF is complete. I am pretty sure mine failed as PH was 3.2 and stayed there for 3 weeks. Maybe it was a bit helpful. Next time i will adjust the ph up before starting the process. Again, all in the fun of making wine. I am learning anyway. thanks again for all the input.

 

[Mark Kissel]

On the Sorbate front, not sure what to do with the stuff. I think my thought process is if I protect the wine form too much aeration, it can be eliminated. I use a vacuum pump to eliminate most air from the carboys during racking and degas with it. Thanks again for the help everyone!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Total SO2 measured using the test meter SC300

Gotcha. Do you like the SC300?

On the Sorbate front, not sure what to do with the stuff. I think my thought process is if I protect the wine form too much aeration, it can be eliminated.

Aeration has nothing to do with sorbate.

Save it for a wine that you'll need to stabilize before sweetening.

 

[Mark Kissel]

SC300, while a bit pricy, does do a good job. Makes it easy to get the amount of SO2 correct before bottling and extremely accurate PH.
Thanks for the sorbate info. Dont understand why they include this in kits of wine that are dry and have no back sweetening. I figure if you have the correct amount of SO2, you are good....thanks again RPh..

 

[Blacksmith1]

They include it because some people, like my sister in law, will not drink dry wines. So you can do all or part of the batch as sweet, and need to stabilize it first. I'm not saying it will be good sweet, just that they give you the option.

 

[Mark Kissel]

I guess if you follow the directions by the letter, it would not hurt anything. My better half likes Rieslings as a dinner drink, so I completely understand the sweet thing....thanks again