It has been said many times that things need to be named. But what if they already have a name and we don’t understand it or use it in vain? One of the main elements for understanding, judging and loving wines is a mystery to many people. I’m talking about acidity.
If you are invited to drink a very acidic wine, will you be excited? I have heard drinkers who drink a lot of wine praise a drink by saying that the wine is wonderful because it “has no acidity at all.”
It turns out that wine without acidity is boring. And I’m not the only one saying it, that’s the technical term to describe a drink with a high pH: it will be flat, flabby, horizontal.
On the other hand, a wine in which it is easily noticeable is fresh, lively, bright, electric, vertical and even (if you are in Portugal) crisp. Although strange, the expression makes some sense if we think of very fresh fruit, a grape or a firm and juicy green apple, for example.
To recognize acidity, I suggest putting the wine in your mouth, letting it run all over the inside of your mouth, and then letting it sit for a few seconds. Observe how your body reacts. Do you feel a slight tingling sensation on your tongue? Oops, that’s a sign that it’s in that area. When you swallow, do you notice that your saliva is more than normal? It’s funny: while it quenches your thirst, acidity seems to call for more wine. We salivate with desire.
Another gift that acidity gives us is the perfect pairing with food: when it is present, alive and electric, we say that the wine is gastronomic. This is because it cleans the mouth and prepares it for the next bite. This, by the way, is a key to pairing any dish. Write it down and repeat it as many times as necessary: acidity cuts through fat.
It is also essential for wines to have a long life. Port wines, the great Burgundies and Bordeaux, the best Portuguese Albariños and the highest quality Rieslings from Germany are proof of this: they can live for decades or even centuries. Five years ago, I tried a Port wine from the 1860 vintage and the sommelier who guided the tasting commented: “It’s ready to drink.”
But why do some wines shine and others don’t? The answer may lie in the varieties used in the recipe: Pinot Noir tends to be more acidic than Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc more so than Gewurztraminer. But it also lies in the terroir: cold places, places with a wide temperature range and high altitudes are good for acidity. And, of course, it depends on the producer, because to have the ideal pH, the wine needs to have been made with grapes harvested at the right point: a green grape can be quite acidic, but it can bring bitterness or unpleasant herbal or bell pepper notes (pyrazine); a stale grape loses this crunchiness, will have more sugar and, therefore, will produce a more alcoholic wine.
Despite all the confusion with terminology, I believe we are living in the age of acidity. This is because everyone now wants fresher, more lively wines. And if this seems like something you would drink in hot weather, know that winter wines also need acidity. After all, when it is balanced with the other pillars of the wine (alcohol, body, tannins, etc.), it makes the drink more harmonious. No one wants to drink wine, not even in winter, and feel heavy after a glass.
Would you like a glass?
Today, I toast with three wines full of energy. Starting with the OH01 Riesling Dry (Casa Flora, R$88.90), which is a good value for money to experience what this grape, so celebrated by connoisseurs, is capable of doing: causing extreme salivation. Pinot noir is a grape known for its high levels of acidity and the icy Argentine Patagonia has produced some very interesting things, such as the Schroeder Pinot Noir Saurus 2022 (Decanter, R$129.90). Brazilian sparkling wines also stand out for their acidity and the Cave Amadeo Brut (R$95), from the excellent Cave Geisse, is a good example of this.
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