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I'm fermenting wine from juice. I forgot to rack into the glass bottle after fermentation begun. So I achieved the whole fermentation in the plastic bucket. Then I racked into the glass bottle with the valve.

I found the wine acid but I did not detect a vinegar flavor.

It is possible to lower the acidity of a wine after/during second fermentation?

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Yes, it is possible.

You can buy acid-lowering products (like potassium bicarbonate) at your winemaking supply store. You will add some little by little every few days until you achieve the desired acidity.

Also, cold stabilization, is a process where you leave your wine for about 3 weeks at a temperature between 0°C to 4°C. It precipitates tartaric acids, so this may also reduce the acidity of your wine. You will need to rack your wine about 6 weeks after the cold stabilization to get rid of the acid crystal sediments.
According to the book "Techniques in Home Winemaking", cold stabilization at a pH below 3.65 might actually increase the acidity in some cases because it will precipitate not only tartaric acid but also potassium tartrate present in the wine (the two would cancel each others effect on acidity).

Aging your wine for a few months will also mellow those acids...

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  • Very useful. I will measure the pH before trying the suggested solutions. – Caos21 Dec 5 '15 at 14:45
  • Potassium metabisulphite could be helpful? Right now I do not age wine, so I normally use a stabilizer three days before bottling. My provider says if aging is desirable, then use potassium metabisulphite instead the stablizer and then rack the wine for 6 months. My guess is that potassium metabisulphite(PM) will kill any fermentation but I fear the smell of the PM. – Caos21 Dec 6 '15 at 5:11
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Before you adjust acidity, allow the fermentation to stop completely, and let the wine degas it's co2. Carbon dioxide in suspension increases acidity of a fluid.

If you still feel it needs a reduction in acidity, cold stabilize the wine at just above freezing for a few weeks to let some of the tartaric acid to precipitate out of the wine.

If you like to make your own cheese, save these crystals as they are used to create curds in some of the fresher cheeses like marscapone and cottage cheese.

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