The Role of Tartaric Acid in Wine and Winemaking Tartaric Acid
is unique in that it is not found in most fruit, but is the
primary acid component in grapes. It is one of the strongest
acids in wine and controls the acidity of a wine. The mechanism
behind this is complicated, and is associated with the degree to
which it is able to resist the buffering activity of other
acids. Tartaric acid deceases as grapes are allowed to hang on
the vine and mature. Very ripe wines do not have a lot of
tartaric acid. The reason behind this lies in the metabolic
processes of the vine. In hotter climates, vines use tartaric
acid for respiration, decreasing the total acidity in the
grapes. However, the decrease in tartaric acid is not as
profound as the decrease in malic acid through the same process.
This is one of the mechanisms that winemakers use to control the
acid content in their wine. The total acidity in a wine is
measured by the amount of Tartaric Acid present. Tartaric Acid
plays a critical role in the taste, feel a