How to Add Tartaric Acid to Wine

Tartaric acid added to wine adjusts the acidity level and pH levels. If the acidity is too low and the pH level too high, the wine becomes unstable and susceptible to spoilage through bacterial growth. To avoid losing an entire batch of wine to spoilage, you'll need to know how to add tartaric acid to wine.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acid tester kit
• Tartaric acid

1. Buy an acid test kit. These kits are available at HomeBrewery.com (see Additional Resources) or at your local wine shop. You'll need this kit to test the total acid level of the wine so you will know how much tartaric acid you must add.

2. Know the optimum total acid levels for red and white wines. White wine's optimum total acid level is 0.7 percent to 0.9 percent and for reds it is 0.6 percent to 0.9 percent.

3. Identify the proper amount of tartaric acid to raise the total acidity levels in wine. One-quarter teaspoon (1.9 grams) of tartaric acid will raise the total acid of the wine by .05 percent per gallon.

4. Perform another acid test. The change to acidity after adding tartaric acid will be almost immediate. Retest your wine shortly after your first addition to see if the total acid levels need further adjusting.
   

Tips & Warnings

• Blend your wines. If you have accidentally added too much tartaric acid to one batch of wine, blend it with another batch that has a lower acid level to save it.

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Resources

• Learn more about acidity and wine.
• Buy a wine acid test kit.