Author: Taylor

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Who are we?

You all know by know what our company does. Have you heard the story of how we started? Officially opening up in January 2010, Vinmetrica was founded on the belief that Rich could put together products that would help winemakers like him. After a series of events involving several years of working as a research scientist at Eli Lilly, a move to Northern California and eventually an over abundance of apricots off a tree in Rich’s new backyard, the idea for Vinmetrica was born.

Rich followed the typical progression of the home winemaker we still encounter today. He began making apricot jam but had so much excess fruit that he decided to try his hand at winemaking and the eventual study of fermentation chemistry. Graduating from fermenting fruit to condensed juices, then to wine kits and finally to grapes. After a while he was confronted with the task of measuring sulfite levels.

With a background in analytical chemistry, Rich had a thorough understanding of measuring sulfite levels via the Ripper titration method and after a quick visit to a local winemaking store Rich returned with some Chemetrics Titrets. Despite knowing that they were not all that suitable for red wines, Rich kept trying to use them for a whole season before finally giving up… Determining the endpoint was not reproducible. There had to be another way!

Eventually landing on the iodine titrations Rich had done as an undergraduate he remembered how he could see a faint yellow iodine color about the same time as his cobbled together electrode system read an endpoint. This was all a lesson in using electrochemistry to detect an endpoint rather than a color indicator. And thus Vinmetrica, or at least the idea for it, was born.

Two platinum electrodes, disused equipment at work, a few components from Fry’s Electronics, and an output that he read with his voltmeter.. that’s how it all started. Wasn’t much to look at, but he found he could get reproducible results in minutes. This was about 1995. He used this setup for years in his garage.

Then, in 2008, after being let go from a position as the VP of Reagents and Assays at Molecular Devices and with a little bit of encouragement from his wife, Rich decided to start Vinmetrica. The company was founded on Rich’s desire to make the vintner’s job easier and more predictable.

His first task was to hire some employees so he hired his two sons (Richie & Tim) to fulfill various positions and needs for the company, as they could pop in and out easily while still attending college. As the company grew, his need for additional employees also grew and he eventually hired one of his step daughters (Karolyn) but she was about to leave for a study abroad program, so he decided to hire his other step daughter (Taylor) to fill the position as she had just graduated from college with a degree in Biology. And finally, the last family hire was Rich’s stepson (Bryan), who joined us for a few years after he graduated college. Throughout the past 13 years, Vinmetrica has only hired one non family member (Rachel). She was with us for several years before moving on to bigger things.

These days, our entire operation is family owned and operated; being completely ran by Rich, Taylor and Tim (with some IT help from Richie occasionally). We have expanded from a small operation selling direct to customers to now having over 10 distributors in the US plus 8 international distributors. Every item we sell comes through the doors of our warehouse in Carlsbad, CA before it is loving packaged and sent out.

When we say we are a small business, we mean it! And we thank our customers each and every day for supporting us! We wouldn’t be here without you.

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Some updates on the Vinmetrica SO2 test

We have some new information regarding the use of the Vinmetrica SO2 test on the SC-100A or the SC-300.  This information is also referenced in the latest versions of the manuals, which you can always access here:  Manuals On-line

  1. Running SO2 standards to check accuracy:

Sometimes we are asked if there is a way to check or calibrate the Vinmetrica free SO2 test, to make sure it’s accurate. The short answer is yes, but it’s tricky, and you generally don’t need to do so. “Calibration” is built into the SO2 reagents in the form of the SO2 Titrant, whose concentration is carefully controlled (at 0.0156 N, so that each mL used equals 20 ppm of SO2).  The reagents are quite stable up to and even beyond their stated expiration date.

If you want to try checking the accuracy of your SO2 titration, you can prepare “standards” of known concentration. The following link will lead you to the methods that we recommend for preparing SO2 standards: SO2 Standardization Check

This describes how to use potassium metabisulfite (KMBS) or preferably, sodium sulfite as a standard.  It also describes an alternative method that uses vitamin C (ascorbic acid) as a substitute for SO2.

As mentioned, the methods are a bit tricky to get good results. We won’t go into details for now, but if you look it up and have questions, we’re always here to help!

  1. Running Total SO2 tests:

Total SO2 tests are usually not necessary for most purposes of controlling wine oxidation and stability.  Sometimes commercial export requirements call for a total SO2 test, and sometimes winemakers want to know if total SO2 is creeping up in the background; for health and safety, the TTB has a limit of 350 ppm for total SO2.

The Vinmetrica method for total SO2 has a simple variation on the free SO2 method. You add 10 mL 1N sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to a 25 mL wine sample, cover the vessel to restrict air access, and let react 20 minutes with occasional or constant stirring.  At the end of this time, you add 8 mL (instead of the usual 2 mL) of your Acid Solution, 2 mL of the Reactant, then proceed with the normal SO2 titration.

What’s new here is that in the past we recommended a 10 minute reaction time with the sodium hydroxide.  We have found that in some cases, that resulted in a slightly lower value compared with a 20 minute time period.  Using reaction times longer than 20 minutes does not seem to make any difference.

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Stuck Fermentations

Primary Fermentation

Stuck primary fermentations in winemaking refer to a situation where the fermentation process slows down or stops before all the available sugars are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This can be a common challenge for winemakers and may result in an incomplete or unbalanced wine. Several factors can contribute to stuck fermentations, and it’s essential to identify and address them promptly.

Common Causes of Stuck Fermentations:

    1. Temperature Fluctuations: Yeast activity is highly sensitive to temperature. If the temperature is too low, the yeast may become sluggish or dormant. Conversely, if it’s too high, it can stress the yeast and lead to stuck fermentation.
    2. Nutrient Deficiencies: Yeast requires various nutrients to thrive, such as nitrogen, vitamins, and minerals. A lack of essential nutrients can hinder yeast metabolism and lead to a stuck fermentation.
    3. Inadequate Aeration: Yeast needs oxygen during the early stages of fermentation. Insufficient aeration can limit yeast growth and fermentation progress.

Keep Reading More!

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Some notes on sulfites, pH and TA

Since harvest is again upon us all, we at Vinmetrica thought it would be a good time to share a few tips on measuring and adjusting the three key parameters you need as fermentation begins and shortly after: pH, TA and free SO2.

First, just a reminder that we have lots of information on our web site (www.vinmetrica.com).  You might want to browse through our Support section on the home page.  There you can find useful resources like videos, the latest version of the manual for your instrument, and our troubleshooting guide.

Second, we recommend you look through the latest version of your manual to refresh your memory as needed!

Measuring and adjusting pH and TA

Measuring pH is technically simple.  You calibrate your pH electrode, then insert it into the wine sample, let it equilibrate a few seconds and take the reading.  Here are some tips to keep it from going awry. Keep Reading More!

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pH 4.01 to pH 4.00 Label Update

The pH 4 reference solution (for use with the SC-200 or SC-300 unit + pH electrode) is now labeled as 4.00, the correct reference value at a temperature of 20 ℃ (68 ℉).  The chemical composition of the solution itself is unchanged from before, and its reference value is still 4.01 at 25 ℃ (77 ℉). It’s just that since most of us work on wine or other beverages that are closer to 15 to 20 ℃ (59 to 68 ℉), a value of 4.00 is slightly more accurate than 4.01. Instruments that use the old reference value 4.01 rather than the new value of 4.00 do not produce significant error: less than 0.02 pH difference in wines with pH values from 3.00 to 4.00.

As mentioned in a recent newsletter, we have a new update to the firmware for SC-200s and -300s built after 2015 (Serial numbers 2897 and above for SC-300s, 470 and above for SC-200s).  This new firmware, versions 3.2.F (or 2.2.F for an SC-200) and higher, uses the value of 4.00 instead of 4.01 for pH calibration.  All new units being shipped will now have this new firmware version installed on them. If your instrument has a lower serial number, or an earlier version of firmware, it will set the pH 4 reference to 4.01 as usual.

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Testing for Fruit and Other Non-Grape Wines and Fermentations

apple cider in glass fermentingPeriodically we get asked about making non-grape wines and if/how our equipment can test for the same parameters when different fruits, vegetables or flowers are used. We thought we would  explain how the test kits that we offer may need to be adapted to test a non-grape wine.

Country wine, as it’s commonly called, is wine made from something other than grapes. We have customers that make mead, cider, kombucha, jalapeno wine, blueberry wine, and dozens of other fruit combinations. They have had much success using several of our testing kits.  We note that some analyses require adjustments to the calculations and/or procedures to get useful results.  In rare cases,  some of the tests cannot be used because of interferences. Keep Reading More!

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Sulfites and Headaches – Is there a correlation?

This is a regularly debated topic that deserves some attention. We’d like to refer you to a great blog by Andrew Waterhouse at UC Davis that breaks down all aspects of the “sulfite gives me headaches” conundrum. Below, we have summarized it for you, but briefly, sulfites are unlikely to cause that headache that some people report occurring within a few hours of consuming wine.

As most winemakers know, sulfite or sulfur dioxide is an anti-oxidant preservative used in winemaking that can also help protect your wine from harmful bacteria or other non-desirable things that might make their way into your barrel. Did you know it is also used to preserve dried fruits? Keep Reading More!

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Preparing to Bottle

This time of year, when vineyards are quiescent,  many of us use the downtime for bottling.  At Vinmetrica’s sister company Little Oaks Winery, we are making final preparations for bottling in early Spring.   This involves several activities, and a little coordination for proper timing.  So we thought we’d share a little about what we do as bottling draws near.

This year we’re bottling our 2022 Viognier, 2022 Rosé of Sangiovese,  and our 2021 Sangiovese. We’ll be producing about 180 cases all told.  The grapes are from Monarch Hill Vineyard in nearby Escondido, our main source of quality grapes for 10 years now.  The Viognier and Rosé, about 80 gal each,  were fermented sur lie for 4 months, then cold-stabilized for 2 weeks before racking and storage at 55ºF.  The ’21 Sangio was fermented in poly tanks, and after MLF completed,  aged over the past year in 50:50 new:neutral Hungarian Oak barrels.   We are pleased with the results, made possible in no small part by attention to monitoring important parameters.

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Not Getting An SO2 Reading.. Why?

We get this question a lot so we thought we would discuss it here.  [Note: Most of this information is available on our troubleshooting guide under SO2 Problems]

There’s two situations that may cause concern about the reading.

  1. Your instrument indicates an endpoint (beeps) right away, either before adding any SO2 Titrant, or after adding just 1 or 2 drops.
  2. Your instrument apparently never indicates an endpoint, even after titration with a large amount of the SO2 Titrant.

Situation (1.) happens a lot. Most of the time, this is just the normal endpoint response, telling you that your wine’s ppm of free SO2 is zero. To verify that the endpoint indication is valid, add 1 drop of 10% KMBS and stir.  The signal should drop to below 50 right away, and the endpoint indicators should stop signaling.  If the endpoint signaling does not stop, you may have a problem with the instrument.

Situation (2.) also crops up from time to time. Let’s say you are running an SO2 test on your wine and you use the ENTIRE 5mL syringe of SO2 Titrant, but your instrument stays on 0.00 or a low number, indicating that you still haven’t reached the endpoint. This would normally mean you have over 100 ppm free SO2 in your wine. But you’re pretty sure there isn’t that much SO2 present. So your instrument must not be working, right?

Actually, it might be working just fine! Keep Reading More!

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pH & TA – A Summary

A few notes on measuring acidity and pH of wines.

At Vinmetrica, we get a lot of inquiries about the acidity of wines and how to measure them. We have a blog on pH & TA here (and followed up here) on our website wherein you can find detailed discussions about various aspects of this subject. Here I’d like to touch on a few of these.

pH vs TA

the term pH represents the concentration of hydrogen ion (” H+ “, also called hydronium ion H3O+), though to be exact it’s H+ activity that your pH electrode senses; see Q&A below). Titratable acidity TA, on the other hand, measures the total amount of hydrogen ion available in free and bound forms. pH and TA both correlate to the tartness of the wine, but the kind of acidity the wine exhibits is generally more a function of its TA value. The pH value is important for taste as well, but more important is its effect on stability of wine, from the beginning of fermentation through to the final product. Very roughly speaking, we want our whites and rose’s to be in the pH range 3.1 to 3.4, while our reds are usually best in the range 3.3 to 3.7. And in general we’re hoping that our TA values are going to be 6 to 7 for reds and 6 to 9 for whites. Note that pH and TA of wines do not track each other in any consistent way. For example it’s possible for a low pH wine to have a low or a high TA value.

Tips on Measuring pH and TA

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