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Calcimator

Acid Adjustment Calculator

Calculate grams of tartaric acid or potassium bicarbonate needed to adjust wine titratable acidity (TA) to the target level for balanced winemaking.

Inputs

gal
g/L
g/L

Results

Adjustment Type

Acidify (add acid)

Tartaric Acid Needed

227 grams

≈ 2 sticks of butter

TA Change Needed1 g/L
Tartaric Acid (oz)8 oz
Citric Acid Alternative193 grams
Malic Acid Alternative204 grams
Potassium Bicarbonate (deacidify)0 grams
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Wine Volume, Current TA, and Target TA.
  2. Review Adjustment Type and Tartaric Acid Needed (grams).
  3. Use TA Change Needed (g/L) and Tartaric Acid (oz) to inform your decision.
  4. Use the chart to visualize the results and explore different scenarios by adjusting inputs.

What each input means

Wine Volume
Total volume of wine or must to adjust in US gallons. A standard barrel is 59.4 gallons (225 liters).
Current TA
Current titratable acidity in grams per liter, expressed as tartaric acid equivalent. Measure with a TA test kit or send to a lab.
Target TA
Desired TA level. White wines typically target 6-8 g/L; reds 5.5-7 g/L. Higher TA gives more perceived freshness.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    Wine Volume = 60, Current TA = 5.5, Target TA = 6.5 = 3 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Adjustment Type
    Acidify (add acid) = Acidify (add acid)
  3. Calculate Tartaric Acid Needed
    227 = 227
  4. Calculate TA Change Needed
    TA Change Needed
    1 = 1
  5. Calculate Tartaric Acid
    8 = 8

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