There are four fundamental traits that comprise a good wine and they all have to work together in balanced harmony. They are Acidity, Tannin, Alcohol and Sweetness.

Let’s start by looking at Acidity.

A wine’s acidity starts in the vineyard. Grapes that have not yet ripened have high acid levels and low sugar levels. As the grapes ripen, the sugar levels rise and the acid levels fall. Grapes grown in cooler climates typically have higher levels of acid because there’s less warmth and sunshine available to increase grapes’ sugar.

The most prevalent acids found in wine are tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. While you might think that citric acid would be most prevalent in wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio that have such great citrus flavors, the truth is that citric acid is found only in very minute quantities in wine grapes. It often has a concentration about 1/20th of tartaric acid. Malic acid can be intentionally created in a wine. When a wine undergoes malolactic fermentation (it’s actually a ‘conversion’ not a fermentation) it converts harsh malic acid, the kind found in green apples, into softer lactic acid which is best known in milk. A wine with high acid will usually taste crisper, be a bit more tart on the palate and result in a refreshing mouthfeel. But, by converting that acid to malic acid results in Chardonnay that has a soft buttery mouthfeel. Most red wines undergo malolactic conversion to soften the acids and give them a smoother mouthfeel.

Finally, acidity allows long-term aging. High acid wines are more likely to improve with time than those with lesser amounts.

So, that’s a quick look at acidity. Next time we’ll take a look at the second fundamental trait of a good wine — tannin. Until then, cheers!