Definition: Acidity of wine 2

Along with sweet, salty and bitter, sour is one of the four basic or fundamental flavours, which are limited to taste sensations themselves, the others being olfactory or tactile sensations perceived in the mouth.

Wine is composed of various acids, which contribute to the harmony of its taste and promote its longevity. When tasting wine, simply saying that a wine is acidic does not make sense, since all wines are acidic to a greater or lesser extent. The taster must evaluate the importance of this acidity. A wine lacking in acidity will be described as "flat", and a wine with strong, aggressive acidity will be described as "green", as we would say of a fruit with an unpleasant acidity resulting from a lack of ripeness. On the other hand, a wine with strong, elegant acidity will be described as lively. Terms such as fresh, lively or tangy are also used to describe the acidity of wine. This flavour is very often associated with mineral aromas, whereas a distinction must be made between the perception of the wine's structure, which includes acidity, and that of its aromas. The structure has an aromatic influence, whereas aromas cannot influence the structure.

At the same time as assessing the intensity and quality of the acidity, we try to evaluate its balance with the texture, tannins, vinosity and power of the wine.

The main acids found in wine are citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid and tartaric acid, but there are others.