Wine Chem 101So why chemistry? Without knowing some of the chemistry of wine, a home winemaker may be flying blind—or at least wearing dark glasses with the lights off.
Wine Chem 101 Part BIn Part B of Wine Chem 101, Bob tackles the chemistry the wine component responsible for the "zing": Acid. The two major organic acid components of grapes and grape juice are tartaric and malic acids, usually starting at about a 50-50 ratio.
Wine Chem 101 Part CIn the final part of our Wine Chem series, Bob discusses the relationship between pH and sulfite. While the titratable acid number—TA—is all about taste, the pH number is all about stability. In particular, wine pH strongly influences the effectiveness of sulfite in preserving wine’s freshness and quality.
Fun With Chemistry: Harvest AnalysisFor the 2006 harvest, my wife Marty White and I decided to give several home kits and techniques a try. We used the SAP panel from Vinquiry as our reference and ran our own tests to match on our home-grown pinot noir and chardonnay.