Acidity is a measurement of the quantity of acid present in a wine or must. This is not to be confused with the pH of a wine which is a measurement of the strength of those acids present.
Like pH, however, the acidity of a wine goes a long way in determining how a finished wine will taste, feel in your mouth, and how well it will age. Having a low acidity will result in a flat and boring wine while having too much acid can lead to tartness or even a sour wine.
However, if you peg the acidity just right you are much more likely to have flavors that pop, good mouthfeel, crispness in white wines, and decent age-ability. It takes careful measurements and a keen sense of taste for those acids produced by spoilage organisms. More on this soon.
What makes acidity tricky is that not all acids are measurable using the same laboratory methods. This is why acidity is described as three different entities, titratable, volatile, and total. Continue reading “Understanding Wine Acidity”