Ever Wonder? What Does Total Acidity and pH Mean in a Wine?

Acids are a key component of wine, alongside tannin, alcohol, and sugar. They contribute to the wine’s freshness, act as a preservative, and help keep the microbes in check. Acidity also gives wine its tart and sour taste.

There are two main ways to measure acidity in wine: Total Acidity, which is measured in grams per liter (g/L), and pH (Potential of hydrogen). pH measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, and it’s a dimensionless measure. It’s also important to note that pH is a logarithmic scale, so a wine with a pH of 3 is ten times more acidic than a wine with a pH of 4.

Total acidity is measured in grams of tartaric acid per liter of wine. But, while tartaric acid is the main acid in wine, other like malic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid also be present.

Total acidity tells us how much acid is in the wine, while pH tells us how acidic it tastes.

In general, all wines are acidic. Here are some examples:

• White Wines:

  • pH ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 (lower pH make them taste crisp, bright and fresh)

  • Total Acidity:

    • Low acidity: 4.5 to 5.0 g/L (e.g., Chardonnay)

    • Medium acidity: 5.0 to 6.5 g/L (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

    • High acidity: 6.5 to 9.0 g/L or more (e.g., Albariño or Riesling)

• Red Wines:

  • pH ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 (higher pH makes them taste softer and rounder)

  • Total Acidity:

    • Low acidity: 4.5 to 5.5 g/L (e.g., Merlot or Zinfandel)

    • Medium acidity: 5.5 to 7.0 g/L (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah)

    • High acidity: 7.0 to 8.5 g/L or more (e.g., Pinot Noir or Barbera)

• Sparkling Wines:

  • pH ranges from 3.3 to 3.8

  • Total Acidity: Often in the range of 7.0 to 9.0 g/L

So, in summary, Total Acidity tells us how much acid is in the wine while pH tells us about how the wine will taste and feel in our mouth. Cheers!

Acidity Levels in Wine

Acidity in wine is one of the four fundamental traits of a good wine (Acidity, Tannin, Alcohol and Sweetness). For a wine to be considered “good,” each of these traits must be in proper proportion or ‘balance’ to each another. If there’s too much of one part, the wine will be off. And, if there’s not enough of a specific component, the wine will be lacking.

So, the acidity of a wine must play its own fine balancing act. While there are no magic “right” numbers for the level of acidity in a wine, there are generally accepted ideals. But, as usual, personal taste is still the simplest determining factor.

As a quick review, pH is a measure of acidity and is a logarithmic scale. So, a pH of 3 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 4 (the lower the pH the more acidic).

Wines lie on the acidic side of the pH spectrum, and most range from 3 to about 4.5 pH. This is compared with water, which is neutral, with a pH of 7 (not acidic), milk at a pH of 6.7, coffee at 4.5-5.0, and lemonade at 2.6 (very acidic).

Acid is important in wine because it acts biologically as a preservative. A red wine with a pH of 3.5 to 4 protects against most spoilage bacteria allowing it to age over years rather than months and allows it to develop deeper more complex flavors. In white wines there is generally stronger acidity with the pH being between 3.0 to 3.5.

In addition to the pH level of a wine, its “Titratable Acidity” or “Total Acidity” (TA) is another way of measuring acidity. And, this is a measure that usually appears on a wine’s Tech Sheet that is generally available on-line from the winery.

Most red wines will have a total acidity of about 0.6 to 0.7% TA that converts to 6 to 7 grams/Liter (g/L) – that is 6 to 7 grams of acid per liter of wine. A white wine will have a higher TA between 6.5 to 7.5 g/L

• Dry White Wines – 6.5 – 7.5g/L

• Sweet White Wine – 7 – 8.5g/L

• Dry Red Wine – 6 – 7g/L

• Sweet Red Wines – 6.5 – 8g/L

• Sherry – 5 – 6g/L

So, keep those taste buds perked up and see if you can detect an acidic wine (e.g., Sauvignon Blanc) over one that is not (e.g., Viognier), or a wine where the acidity is out of balance with its other components. Cheers!