“Is water a factor in the success of my wine?”
Tap water is impacted when spring rains bring more particles into the runoff, which translates into more chemicals and processing required to treat the water. Sometimes you can even smell this at your tap.
This is when you need to be more mindful about the quality of water going into your wine or beer. Off flavours and odors may adversely affect the quality of your finished product.
Water is not quite as critical as many people think. In fact, if your water is fit to drink, it is usually just fine for winemaking. However, if your water has a lot of hardness or a high mineral content – especially iron – it could lead to permanent haze or off-flavours.
Some municipal water treatment plants will send you a water analysis for free if you ask. Also, if your house is equipped with a salt-exchange water softener, that water cannot be used for winemaking due to high sodium levels.
Can You Use Bottled Water?
If you’re in doubt, go ahead and use bottled water to make your wine and beer. You’ll appreciate the difference!
If you choose to use bottled water, The Home Vintner recommends reverse osmosis bottled water. We carry it at our Calgary store, and it is supplied to us from our Olds Droplets Water Company satellite location in Olds, Alberta.
Despite the fact I live rurally and have hard well water, I have always chosen to use reverse osmosis water for my wine and beer making. Especially those wines that I have entered into competition….it does make a difference!
(excerpt from Tim Vandergrift’s wine blog)
