Ep 245: What is Acidity?

Acidity is one of the key components of wine, along with tannin, alcohol and sugar/dryness. This is a completely dorky look at acidity -- what it does, why it's important, and then dive into different types of acid and why it matters. Here are the show notes:  The Basics: It’s one of the four elements of a wine’s structure: acidity with tannin, alcohol, sugar/dryness It makes wine tart or sour  All wines are acidic (whites and reds, dry and sweet), but the degree varies from a real and perception perspective Acidity is in both grapes and in wine and it changes with winemaking Euphemisms: bright, crisp, racy, nervy   What acidity does  Influences wine color  Balances sweetness, tannin/bitter sensation, aromas, mouthfeel Low acid wines – no body, weak, flabby, brown in color Protects the wine from spoilage, helps it age – stabilizes because spoilage bacteria can’t grow in high acid environments Food and wine Great with acidic food – makes it smoother Contrasts/cuts the fat and lightens the dish up Sweet wine needs acidity Climate/place Cooler climates have grapes with higher acidity. Slow ripening will preserve acidity Warmer climates need to add acid BACK through a winemaking technique – acidification Acidity is a HUGE harvest consideration   Dork Out Section About Acid Types of Acid – in grapes: Tartaric (unique to grapes), Malic (fades fast), Citric (in small concentrations). In wine: Succinic, acetic (volatile acidity), lactic (milky acid) We discuss pH v Total Acidity and the relationship between them Malolactic fermentation: bacteria convert sugar and malic acid into lactic acid. Softer acidity than strong malic, wine is less acidic post MLF Acidity Measurement pH – Strength of the acid – 0 – 14, water is 7. Wines are usually from 2.9 -4.0. pH scale is logarithmic, meaning a wine with a pH of 3.0 is 10 times more acidic than a wine with a pH of 4.0. Total Acidity/Titratable Acid – total of ALL Acids present, important to look at both   Acid is important -- pay attention and you'll see just how much!   Thanks to our sponsors this week:   YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help!Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople     Last Bottle I love this service!! Last Bottle Wines finds great wines and offers them at a one time discount. Last Bottle Wines: Is a fun way to discover the best wines at the lowest prices Maintains relationships with producers in the most prestigious wine regions around the world and traveling to Europe several times each year to eat with, stay with, drink with, walk the vineyards with the people who make the wines. Offer a range of prices from low end to high end $9 to $99 and the wines range from the lesser known kinds like Albariño and Bläufrankish to Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. Visit: http://lastbottlewines.com/normal and join to get a $10 instant credit to use toward your first order. Invite your wine drinking pals and they’ll get $10 instantly and you get $30 when they make their first buy.     Casper is a sleep brand that makes expertly designed products to help you get your best rest, one night at a time. Casper products are cleverly designed to mimic human curves, providing supportive comfort for all kinds of bodies. You spend one third of your life sleeping, so you should be comfortable. Casper offers two other mattresses: the Wave and the Essential The Wave features a patent-pending, premium support system to mirror the natural shape of your body The Essential has a streamlined design at a price that won’t keep you up at night USE THIS OFFER!!  Get $50 toward select mattresses by visiting Casper.com/wine and using WINE at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Get the back catalog on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.