When we test a wine or must for its Total Acidity we are determining the actual amount of physical acid there is in our sample wine or must. This Total Acidity number is important because along with a wines pH, the TA tells us:
- If the wine will likely be in balance with itself
- How much the pH can be adjusted (if needed)
- How well the wine will age over time
(A complete explanation of wine acidity and pH (along with in-depth instructions for adjusting them if needed) can be found in both our Red Winemaking Manual and our White Winemaking manual.)
g/L or %TA?:
Total acidity ("TA") is expressed as either "_ g/L of acid", or in tenths of a percent of acidity as in "0._% total acidity". Both terms are equivalent and can be used interchangeably by moving the decimal point; e.g: 6.5 g/L = 0.65% TA.
How TA testing works:
Whether using our basic MoreWine! Acid test kit or using a more advanced testing system, the principles behind TA testing remain the same: Sodium Hydroxide (a base) is used to neutralize the acidity of a fixed amount of wine or must sample, one drop at a time. When a pH of 8.2 is reached all of the acid will have been neutralized and, based on how many drops of Sodium Hydroxide we used, we can then calculate the amount of acid that was in the sample.
Complete instructions on testing wine acidity in wine can be found in our Total Acidity Testing Manual!
