Total and Volatile Acidity: Traditional and Advanced Methods

Abstract

One of the most relevant wine sensory attributes is acidity, which is also considered a parameter of the quality and microbiological stability of the beverage. The acidity is represented by different organic acids synthesized directly from the grape or resulted from the alcoholic fermentation process. The acidity assessment at various stages of winemaking is crucial to ensure a final product with high quality. Different procedures ranging from conventional titrations to alternative methods are applied for the acid profile determination. This chapter explains the principal methods to perform the total and volatile acidity in wines, describing the methodology and discussing their advantages.