Page 25 - GrapevineMarApr 2022

In The Winery

Calibration With Distilled Water
Alcohol After you have properly set the unit up you must

calibrate the unit using distilled water. Once we
have determined the boiling point of distilled water
we can start the process of measuring a wines alco-
Testing hol.

1. Using the supplied glass cylinder fill the small
cylinder to the line labeled “eaux: with distilled
By: Tom Payette,
Winemaking Consultant water. (This is roughly 15 milliliters.)

2. Place this amount in the lower boiling chamber
via the opening the thermometer is placed in.
Make sure the lower stopcock to the boiling
chamber is closed.

3. Replace the thermometer in the appropriate
orifice so you may read the markings on the
thermometer.

4. Light the wick on the burner and place under
the chimney to initiate boiling of the water. {Be
careful with the flame positioning to make sure
the plastic stopcock does not melt.}

5. Wait about 2 to 4 minutes to hear a steady
rumble inside the unit and to watch the mercu-
ry rise in the thermometer.

6. Once the thermometer reading has stabilized
you may reflect the reading from the thermom-
eter at the zeroing point on the round “slide
rule” chart. (This is included in your ebulliome-
ter kit)

7. Double check the readings and double check
where you have calibrated the unit chart to.

8. Empty the distilled water from the boiling
chamber, by opening the stopcock, (careful this
is hot) and flush the chamber out with about 60
milliliters of the upcoming sample of wine about
to be tested. (This is the only time the author
flushes the chamber due to the fact water, at
zero percent alcohol, could cause interference
to the first wine sample run).

9. The above may be done without cool water in
the condenser chamber but having water in that
chamber will cause no harm with this reading

10. Now you are ready to move on to measuring

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