When a vintner makes a wine from juice concentrate, testing for acid or pH levels really isn't that important because the juice is pretty well balanced by the manufacturer. Unless you know you are using an out of balance water, there is very little reason to have to do any testing.

For those that are making wine from fresh/frozen fruit then testing becomes a very important thing to do because fresh fruit will have levels that differ from season to season, and can be highly acidic.

Testing your wine isn't very hard, or expensive. Midwest offers several options for winemakers of any skill level. You can use test strips or a pH pen for testing pH levels. pH pens give you a more accurate reading, and are very helpful when you are adjusting the levels. Reading a digital number is usually easier then trying to figure out color changes on the test strips. There are also several test kits available for different forms of acid. You should at least test for tartaric acid in your wine, which is one of the most dominant acid flavors in a wine.

The reason for testing your wine is because if your pH or acid levels are off, you can end up with a dull, or flat, tasting wine. Or, you can end up with a wine with a “bite” to it. If you take the time to balance the wine you will find that you end up with a much better flavor, and a wine that people can't stop talking about.

Depending how advanced you want to be you can test for just about anything. Some other great tests are lactic acid, malic acid, or free SO2 kits. We have several articles dedicated to how to adjust your wine so make sure to check out the other questions on FAQ section of our website. Or, if we don't have information on the type of test you want to run, you can always call us and one of our staff can help you out.