🍷 Deacidification
Reducing excess acidity in wine from a cold year.
Deacidification means lowering excess acid in wine. It is needed in cold years, when grapes do not fully ripen and the wine turns out too sour. To make the wine softer, winemakers reduce its acidity.
Acid can be reduced in several ways: by adding substances that bind part of the acids, or by malolactic fermentation, where malic acid turns into lactic acid. What is allowed and in what amounts is set by local law and by the international code of practices of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
Deacidification is linked to acidity: that is exactly what it lowers. The opposite step is called acidification, used in hot years. It is an ordinary part of winemaking, but too much intervention leaves wine flat, so makers act carefully. The decision is made by the winemaker, based on analysis and on the taste of the must. If the wine has enough acid, no deacidification is needed, and the wine stays as nature made it. The decision is usually made early in the wine's maturing.
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Acidity
- Part of
- 🍷 Winemaking
Frequently asked questions
What is wine deacidification?
Lowering excess acid in wine, most often after a cold year.
When is wine deacidified?
When the grapes were underripe and the wine is too sour.
How is it different from acidification?
Deacidification lowers acidity, while acidification adds acid, usually in a hot year.
Similar
🍷 Sorting table · 🍷 Must · 🍷 Acidification · 🍷 Fortification · 🍷 Dealcoholisation · 🍷 Carbonation