Acid Blend
Uses: Acid adjustment in fruit wines. Use in grape wines acceptable but not recommended due to difficulties manipulating malic acid and the possibility of malolactic activity. Consult a good wine-making textbook. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 4 g.
Contraindications: Do not mix with strongly alkaline solutions (e.g. Saniton) due to release of potentially harmful gases.
Composition: 66.6 % tartaric acid, 33.3% malic acid.

Acidex®
Uses: Extreme de-acidification of musts and finished wines. Better choice for acid reductions than regular chalk (calcium carbonate) because it reduces equal amounts of malic and tartaric acid in the must. Acidex only works within a saturated solution so in practice a fraction of the must is drawn off, de-acidified, clarified, and returned to the main portion. This effectively dilutes the acidic must/wine. 5 ml (1 teaspoon) = approximately 2.2 g.
Contraindications: Over-dosing leads to totally acidless wines, and "chalky" taste. Instructions must be followed exactly to achieve desired results.
Composition: Calcium carbonate with small quantities of a double calcium salt of tartaric and malic acid.

Bocksin®
Uses: Removing hydrogen sulfide aromas from wine. Add 1.3 ml. per liter of wine (about 30 ml. per 23 liter batch). Stir thoroughly into wine. Wait 24 hours. If wine becomes cloudy, fine using gelatin.
Contraindications: May leave haze (treatable) in wine.

Note: We have recieved numerous orders for Bocksin, here is some further information on it. Bocksin is sold by us in 30 ml vials, enough to treat 5 Cdn gallons or 6 American gallons. The price per vial is $3.50 USD or $5.50 Cdn. It usually costs roughly $6-$7 USD to send it in the continental United States, and roughly $8-$9 Cdn to ship it within Canada. We don't have a secure order site, so you can either call in or E-Mail us your payment information. We can give you an exact price on shipping once we know your address.

Chalk (AKA: Calcium Carbonate)
Uses: Acid reductions in wine. Hardening water in beer making. Use in acid reductions must be considered a last choice, as other materials produce better results with less off flavour. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 2.1 g. Consult with a wine-making textbook for possible usage.
Contraindications: Excess of calcium carbonate will give wine a 'chalky' flavour.

Citric Acid
Uses: Acid adjustments in fruit wines. Adjusting acid to taste in fully fermented grape wines. Also used in barrel care as an acidifier (lowers pH) when combined with sulphites in a rinsing solution. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 3.6 g.
Contraindications: Do not mix with highly alkaline solutions (e.g. Saniton). Release of potentially harmful gases possible. Citric acid will decompose under the influence of malolactic bacteria, forming diacetyl, and may cause a rise in volatile acidity (vinegar smell/taste). Use in unfermented grape wines acceptable but not recommended.

Elderberries
Uses: Making specialty wine. Additive to grape concentrate wines. Gives rich "plummy" flavour to wines, along with reddish brown colour. Adds tannin to bland wines. Add to wine prior to pitching yeast. Push under fermenting wine every day to keep berries moist. Leave berries behind in fermenter at first racking. Use 3 ¼ g per litre of wine (75 g per 23 litres). 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 2.5 g.
Contraindications: Distinctive flavour may not be appropriate to all wines.
Composition: Dried berries of the elderflower bush. Usually Belgian-grown berries although they do grow in all temperate climates.

French Oak Chips
Uses: Introduces desirable flavours and aromas into wine (including vanilla, smoke, and wood-like flavours) all associated with high-quality, barrel-aged wines. Add directly to finished wine in secondary fermenter. Use approximately 50 g per 23 litres Leave two weeks and then taste the wine every two to three days. When desired oakiness is achieved, rack wine into clean carboy. If not oaky enough add an additional 25 g per 23 litres and repeat the waiting and tasting period. Caution: Over-oaking is impossible to reverse. When in doubt use less than you need and add more later, or only oak a portion of the wine, saving the rest to use for dilution in case of over-oaking.
Contraindications: Delicate or more floral wines spoiled by contact with oak.
Composition: Dried and chipped heart wood from French oak trees. May be toasted.

Glycerine (AKA: Glycerol)
Uses: Contributes "fullness" or "smoothness" when added to a wine. Glycerine also gives the wine "legs", the viscous drips that run down the side of a glass in which wine is swirled. Stir in 3 to 15 ml per litre of wine immediately before bottling. Use a syringe to measure accurately. Caution: Excessive amounts of glycerine cannot be removed from wine and will give a metallic taste. When in doubt, use a smaller amount and add more later, or only add glycerine to a portion of the wine and blend in the rest later.
Contraindications: Overuse gives wine an alcoholic or metallic flavour. Expectation that it will "improve" a very harsh or bad-tasting wine is incorrect.

Grape Skin Extract (AKA: Oenocyanin, Enocianinaâ)
Uses: Gives light-coloured wine a dark purple colour. Stir in 1 to 2 ½ ml per litre (20 to 60 ml per 23 litre batch) of wine immediately prior to bottling. Use a syringe for accurate measurement.
Caution: It is impossible to remove red wine colour from treated wine. When in doubt, add smaller amounts gradually increasing to full dose, or only treat part of the wine reserving the rest in case of overdose.
Contraindications: Potassium bound in the grape skins may affect the pH of the wine, leading to other complications. Using more than the recommended amount makes wine a garish purple, and leaves teeth stained. May also give wine a slight haze.
Storage: Store in cool dry place. Keep tightly capped. May stain clothing and surfaces.
Composition: Anthocyanins (melanoidin colour compounds), sugars, tartrates, malates, tannins and minerals (composition similar to, but lower in concentration, than wine). Derived from marc (pressed skins) of lambrusco grapes.

Liquid Grape Tannin
Uses: Increasing astringency in grape or fruit wines. Some use as a clarifying agent in wine and beer; however, this has been superseded by the use of Kieselsol (silicon dioxide). Consult wine-making textbook on usage.
Composition: 30 % dry grape tannin in aqueous suspension.

Malic Acid
Uses: Preparation of malolactic cultures. Potential use for acid adjustments in wine discouraged due to possible activation of malolactic activity along with strong 'apple' taste apparent in wines with high concentrations of malic acid. Consult a wine-making textbook for usage rates. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 4 g.
Contraindications: Do not mix with highly alkaline solutions (e.g. Saniton). Release of potentially harmful gases possible.

Malolactic Culture
Uses: Inducing malolactic fermentation in wine, causing the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid. Side effects include the production of diacetyl compounds that give the wine complexity and desirable aromas, and the reduction of total acidity. Usually used on Chardonnay and highly flavoured red wines. Consult a good wine-making textbook if you are unsure about using it.
Contraindications: Used on the wrong wine it can ruin the flavour. Use also leaves the wine less stable microbiologically.
Composition: Leuconostoc oenos bacteria in a suspended nutrient medium.

French Oak Aging Compound
Uses: Adding oak flavours and aromas to finished wines. Stir into wine immediately before bottling. For reds use 1 to 3 ml per litre of wine, for whites use ¼ to 1 ml per litre. Caution: Over-oaking is impossible to reverse. When in doubt, add to only half of the wine, saving the remainder for dilution in case of over-oaking.
Contraindications: Lighter or more floral wines ruined by exposure to oak. Using more than the recommended amount can produce unpleasant levels of oak flavour and tannic compounds.
Composition: French oak chips extracted in a suspension of ethyl alcohol.

Oak Chips
Uses: Introduces desirable flavours and aromas into wine (including vanilla, smoke, and wood-like flavours) all associated with high-quality, barrel-aged wines. Add directly to finished wine in secondary fermenter. Use approximately 50 g per 23 litres Leave two weeks and then taste the wine every two to three days. When desired oakiness is achieved, rack wine into clean carboy. If not oaky enough add an additional 25 g per 23 litres and repeat the waiting and tasting period. Caution: Over-oaking is impossible to reverse. When in doubt use less than you need and add more later, or only oak a portion of the wine, saving the rest to use for dilution in case of over-oaking.
Contraindications: Delicate or more floral wines spoiled by contact with oak.
Composition: Dried and chipped heart wood from American or French oak trees. May be toasted.

Oak Mor
Uses: Adds oak flavour and aroma to wine. Chief advantage over regular oak chips lies in its use during primary fermentation. Oak flavours and aromas transfer very quickly and efficiently, allowing user to judge results within two to three weeks. Also improves early drinkablity of wines. Add directly to grape juice or must prior to or during fermentation. For whites and light reds use 25 g per 23 litres. For heavier reds use 50 g per 23 litres. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 1.4 g.
Caution: Over-oaking is impossible to reverse. When in doubt, use less oak, or only oak a portion of the wine, saving the rest to use for diluting.
Contraindications: Delicate or floral wine spoiled by contact with oak.
Composition: Dried toasted powder of oak trees.

Pectic Enzyme (AKA: Pectinase)
Uses: Dissolves pectin (long chain protein molecules) that may leave wines cloudy. Can also be used when making fruit wines, both to increase juice yield and help the wine clear properly. Use 3.5 g per 23 litres (about 0.7 g per Imperial gallon). Dissolve in a small amount of cold water and stir into must, juice, or wine. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 2.8 g.
Storage: Keep dry. Store at room temperature.

Potassium Carbonate (AKA: Potash. Pearl Ash)
Uses: Minor acid reductions in wine must. Reductions of up to 20% of tartaric acid are possible. Acid reduction completes very quickly (within a few minutes) and leaves a precipitate. Dissolve package in 375 ml of cold water to make base solution. Chill wine before making addition. 4 ml of base solution will reduce acidity of 1 litre of wine by about 10%. For 23 litres 92 ml will reduce acidity by 10%. Do not use more than 9 ml per litre (207 ml/23 litres). For acid reductions greater than 20 %, use Acidex®. Allow to settle for 24 hours after addition then rack or filter.
Contraindications: Additions of more than 9 ml per litre of the base solution will give wine a 'soapy' taste.
Composition: Potassium Carbonate 99%, Inert salt 1%.
Hazard Classification: Irritant. Avoid inhaling. Extremely irritating to eyes and mucous membranes.

Tannin
Uses: Increasing astringency in grape or fruit wines. Some use as a clarifying agent; however this has been superseded by the use of Kieselsol (silicon dioxide). Consult recipe for addition amounts. Dissolve powdered tannin in a small quantity of warmed wine before adding. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 2.2 g.
Contraindications: Adding tannin can remove colour and flavour from wine. If you are not sure you need more tannin in your wine, consult a good wine-making textbook.

Tartaric Acid
Uses: Acid adjustments in wine. Acid of choice for all adjustments. Consult a good wine-making textbook for addition amounts. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 4 g.
Contraindications: Do not mix with highly alkaline solutions (e.g., Saniton). Release of potentially harmful gases possible.

Yeast Nutrient
Uses: Provides essential minerals, trace nutrients and vitamins for yeast growth and metabolism during fermentation. Used to help start slow fermentation and to restart stuck ones. Add 0.4 g per litre (9 g per 23 litres) and stir gently. May cause foaming if added to an ongoing fermentation. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 3.7 g.
Contraindications: Using more than the recommended amount gives unpleasant salty flavour.
Composition: Diammonium phosphate 87.7%, Nutritional yeast 7.8%, and magnesium 0.4%.

The Brewers Wort, 8A-140 Terminal Avenue, Nanaimo, B.C., V9R 5C5, 1-250-754-2448
Home : Premium Wines : 30 Day Wines : Beer : Ciders & Coolers : Resources : Contact Us : Links
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 The Brewers Wort

Last Updated: May 6, 2005