Getting the acid balance right at the start of fermentation is the first step to a great wine or cider.
Target pH
- White wine: approx. pH 3.2
- Red wine: approx. pH 3.6
- Cider: pH 3.2-3.6 (above pH 4.0 risks off-flavours and bacterial infection)
If your juice is too acidic, Acid Reducer brings it back into range. It's a fine powder of calcium carbonate (precipitated chalk), added at a starting rate of 7g per gallon, which lowers acidity by around 1.5 ppt. It releases CO2 as it neutralises the acid (and may foam), so leave plenty of head space. Added to a finished wine or cider, leave it somewhere cold for a week so any acid crystals drop out as sediment.
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