Ah yes, 43 litres. So we tucked it away for a few weeks and then it was time for racking. So in a twist of suction tubes and transfer vessels that were too small and hapless attempts at trying to keep the air away, we managed to seal it back into two containers again. And yes we kept a sample back.URRGGHHH! It tastes awful!
Nice colour though!
I took some back to the UK and did some measurements - yep too acidic at 9 ppt and pH 2 - well we knew that, it was in the "too hard box" at the beginning.
So I bought some calcium carbonate crystals, and thought I will do some experiments on my little sample I brought back to UK. Mmmm yes you can change the pH but lots of crystals crystallising out all over the place!!
So we turned our backs on it again. And in February racked it again. I added 5 campden tablets (should have been 10 according to the internet but that didn't feel right). And yes we kept a sample back. Mmmm tastes slightly less awful, pH now 3, and actually the same pH as the Bordeaux Steve buys from Lidl!
So when in doubt, consult the experts, so we asked Paul, the builder. He said he thinks it is OK for its age, and it'll be fine. So I dumped the calcium carbonate idea and we've turned our backs on it again!
Meanwhile time to prune the vines.....
