The Point of Acids in Wine
Acids are in wine to give them the crisp, tart taste they are known for. This are a number of things that moderate acids and give your wine balance. These include sugar, alcohol, minerals, and other ingredients. Some of the acids come from ingredients you put in the wine while others are natural byproducts of fermentation.
The natural acids you get from your ingredients have the freshest, purest tastes. Acids you get from fermentation have milder, more complex taste. Natural acids common in grapes are tartaric, malic, and citric. Oxalic acid is another common natural acid. It's found in rhubarb and other ingredients. Fermentation acids include lactic, succinic, and acetic.
Since acidity has such a major influence on the taste of you wine, you need to make sure you understand the roles of various acids. You need to know their occurrence in common bases for making wines, their tastes, their sufficiency, how to measure them, and the principles for adjusting them when necessary.
