🍷 Acidification
Raising the acidity of must or wine, most often in a hot year; in the EU allowed in all zones, by no more than 4 g/l.
Acidification is raising the acidity of must or wine so that it tastes fresh and balanced. It is most often done in hot years: the grapes gather a lot of sugar but keep little acid, and without acidification the wine turns out limp and flat.
The OIV defines acidification as an increase in titratable acidity and a decrease in pH. The aim is not only taste: a more acidic wine is better protected against unwanted microbes and keeps longer. This can be achieved in several ways — by blending with a more acidic wine, by treatment with cation exchangers or electromembranes, or by adding an organic acid.
For chemical acidification the OIV allows only a few acids: tartaric, malic, lactic, citric and fumaric, while mineral acids are forbidden. Tartaric acid occurs naturally in the berry itself, so the wine gains no foreign taste. For must and wine together, acidity may not be raised by more than 4 g/l, expressed as tartaric acid.
In the EU acidification is allowed in all wine-growing zones, also by at most 4 g/l. EU rules used to allow it only in the southern zones and within lower limits. The same product generally may not be both acidified and enriched with sugar, and acidification and deacidification together are prohibited.
Why it matters to you. Acidification is an authorised, ordinary practice, not fraud: its limits are written into EU and OIV rules, and only acids natural to wine may be added. Its purpose is to give back the freshness the heat took away, not to make the wine sour.
Facts
| Main use | Raise acidity and lower pH for balanced taste and stability 2 |
|---|---|
| Acidity | Must and wine together — no more than 4 g/l, expressed as tartaric acid 3 |
| Legal basis | EU 1308/2013: allowed in all zones, ≤ 4 g/l 1 |
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Acidification → gives → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Tartaric acid
- What it gives
- 🍷 Wine
- Who works with it
- 🍷 Winemaker
- Part of
- 🧪 Wine adjustment and stabilisation
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Deacidification, 🍷 Chaptalisation
- In other topics
- 🧪 Lactic acid
Frequently asked questions
What is wine acidification?
Raising the acidity of must or wine and lowering its pH so that the wine is balanced in taste and keeps better.
When is wine acidified?
Most often in hot years, when the grapes gathered a lot of sugar but kept little acid.
How much acid may be added to wine in the EU?
At most 4 g/l, expressed as tartaric acid, in any EU wine-growing zone. The same product generally may not be both acidified and enriched with sugar.
Which acids may be added to wine?
According to the OIV, only tartaric, malic, lactic, citric and fumaric acid. Mineral acids are forbidden.
Is it true that acidified wine is fake?
No. It is an authorised OIV and EU practice with clear limits. Adding a forbidden acid, such as a mineral one, or exceeding the limit would be a violation; the OIV states explicitly that acidification must not conceal fraud.
What to read next
- 🍷 Winemaker — A winemaker is the specialist who takes wine from the arrival of grapes to bottling, watching fermentation and quality and building the blend.
- 🍷 Chaptalisation — Adding sugar to must to raise the alcohol of wine in a cool year; in the EU by at most 3 % vol in zone A.
- 🧪 Lactic acid — An organic acid that lactic acid bacteria make from lactose; it sours fermented milk and appears on labels as E270.
Similar
🍷 Deacidification · 🍷 Chaptalisation · 🍷 Clarification of wine · 🍷 Racking · 🍷 Sulphites (SO2) · 🍷 Cold stabilisation
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (consolidated 08.12.2023), Annex VIII Part I
- OIV — International Code of Oenological Practices, Acidification
- OIV — International Code of Oenological Practices, Chemical acidification