As general as this sounds, any small batch winemaker puts their “all” into making their wines.  My “all” can sometimes be problematic.          

In one of my recent rounds of barrel tastings, I felt the 2023 Barbera was more acidic than I liked.  When I glanced at my batch notes, I remembered that the pH was oddly low last fall.  It was 3.19 and red wines are perfect between 3.5 and 3.7.  Odder yet, with a pH of 3.19, the Brix (measurement of sugar) would have been low, but the Brix were perfect.

This was a winemaking conundrum that I hadn’t faced before.  Adjusting the acid when the pH is too high, and the Brix are high is common. But Brix being ok and pH being low was a new predicament. 

Any adjustments that I do with my wines are done gently and before fermentation begins - if I adjust it at all.  If the adjustment calls for 5 grams, I’ll do 2 grams.  I also document all my adjustments in my batch notes.

My choice in the fall was to dose the wine, oh so gently, with potassium bicarbonate — an alkaline mineral which is naturally occurring.   During the barrel tasting, I impatiently skipped past that part in my notes.  I tasted the wine, thought it to be tart, looked no further than the pH in my notes ,and freaked! 

My wine freak outs have caused me to dump wine and you’d think as long as I’ve been making wine, I would have that under control.  It’s different though, when you are sharing your wine with others and want every sip to be perfect. 

Setting my freak out aside, I pulled a 2022 bottle of Barbera from my secret shelf and along with a friend, we did a side-by-side tasting.  The 2023 Barbera is just a tad young but the acid is perfect.  To substantiate that, I did use a pH meter and the pH is a solid 3.5 which also means my half dose theory is spot on. 

In retrospect, my “all” needs some work, but my wine theories and my palate seem to be ok.  The 2023 batch of Barbera is almost ready to bottle.  I think another 2-3 months on oak and we’re ready.   

Peace, Love, and VW buses!

Sharon