You are right, at WineMaker magazine we typically don’t want to advertise one product over another. That being said, we are always open to new advances and products that help our readers. I think this one is worth a mention, even if the results are only in a range and don’t (at least in my estimation) seem to be super-reliable in pinpointing a specific result. Will it tell you your MLF is going in the right direction? Like the Magic 8 Ball, answers point to “yes.”
I can understand why one might be tempted to try out the Accuvin Malic Acid Test Kit test strips (which, full disclosure, I haven’t), available on their website as well as other retailers. As a “Wine Wizard” reader, you’re probably familiar with my lamentations of (and my dissuasions thereof) the paper chromatography method, which involves multiple nasty chemicals and buckets of faff (as my British readers will interpret as “far too much trouble”). Similarly, sending never-ending samples to a lab can be cost- and convenience-prohibitive. The Accuvin tests seem to be an easy way to do on-or-off binary tests and can be quantitative enough to be seen as “is it moving/is it not.” Do be warned, some peer and online reviews have painted these tests as only right about 2⁄3 of the time and many mention that it’s tough to get within a 30 mg/L range of the right result.
The Accuvin Quick Tests test strips rely on color matching a test strip to an enclosed scale in the kit. It seems like an easy and simple method to use but does rely on timing and your ability to discern depths of color. The accuracy of the Accuvin Quick Test in the lower range of 30 mg/L can vary +/- 10 mg/L (33 percent).
Below is what was written in the Amazon listing of the product (go ahead and search it out for yourself — there are over 41 reviews) so . . . what I would do as a cautious Wine Wizard would be to test a finished wine with one of the Accuvin tests and also by sending a sample to a commercial lab. That way you’ll be able to really dial it in and see if your results from Accuvin are reliable and repeatable.
• “Test to control and monitor malic acid and completion of malolactic fermentation in wines.
• Quantitatively measures from 0–500 mg/L.
• Every kit comes with ten strips and ten samplers and requires no extra chemicals or instrumentation for accurate readings.
• Accuvin strips have a unique construction enabling the removal of pigments from red wines making them usable on any wine.
• No sample prep required, enabling you to get actionable results in a matter of minutes.”
