What Wine Is Less Acidic?
Generally, the least acidic type is red wines, with white wines usually being highly acidic. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t white wines that are low in acidity. A white wine that has undergone malolactic fermentation during its creation process will yield a lower acid level.
Red wines are usually less acidic than white wines. The acid levels in red wine can be anywhere between 2.5 and 4.5 on a PH scale, although 3 to 4 is the most common range. The lower the number, the more acidic the wine is.
These three aspects are:
- the aroma
- the tannins
- the acidity
Some less-acidic red grape varieties include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and syrah/shiraz. Among high-acid reds to avoid are gamay, barbera, nebbiolo and sangiovese Skip to main content
20+ Alcohols Ranked by Acidity (What to drink with acid reflux)
- Limoncello. Limoncello isn’t something you’ll typically order at a bar or restaurant in the United States, but it’s popular in many places in the world, especially Europe.
- Kombucha Tea. Kombucha tea is rising in popularity for a variety of reasons.
- Champagne.
- Cider.
- Port Wine.
- Hard Seltzers.
- White Wine.
- Tequila.
- Sour Beer.
- Vermouth.
Whiskey or brandy, which seems counterintuitive at first. I didn’t know the levels until I looked them up just now but this seems to be the case. Wine and beer are around 3–4 pH, whiskey and brandy can be more like 4–5 pH – the more I think about it, it starts to make sense – the stronger the drink, the more sugar is turned into alcohol so the less acidic it becomes.
Why is acidity important in wine?
Acidity is also an essential and natural preservative. Because of this, white wines (which are higher in acid compared to red wines) age better than other types of wine.
Medium-bodied white wines, like Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc. Light-bodied, highly acidic wines like Riesling, or brut sparkling wine and Champagne are some of the lowest on the pH scale.
However, if the wine has not reached the desired acid levels , it’s common for winemakers to add tartaric acid to the wine prior to fermentation. This helps to balance the wine, stopping it from tasting overly sweet or “jammy.”. Winemakers can also experience the opposite problem, in which the wine is too acidic.
The high temperatures found in regions such as California, South Africa, and Australia cause grapes to ripen rapidly, reducing the naturally occurring acids and increasing the sweetness of the grapes and resulting wine . This is why tartaric acid is most commonly added to wines grown in warm climates.
If you’ve ever witnessed a baby tasting a lemon, you know the face-cringing look of bewilderment as the sour flavor hits their tongue for the first time. That sensation of the sharp, acidic taste hitting the mouth is like no other. Just thinking about licking a lemon may cause your mouth to pucker. And it’s this sensation that will help you determine the level of a wine’s acidity.
How Do I Test a Wine’s Acidity? To understand acidity in wine, you’ll have to gather several samples. Prepare a few glasses of different types of wine, including red, white and rosé. Taste each one, making sure to cleanse your palate with water between each tasting.
For instance, something highly acidic, such as lemon, has a pH level of around 1.