Titratable Acidity
Definition - What does Titratable Acidity mean?
Titratable acidity or TA, is the amount of acidity which can be titrated via titration. The three acids which are present in the juice of grapes are citric, malic and tartaric. They play an important role in the balance of the juice and the wine made from the juice. Therefore, a titration test is performed in order for the winemaker to know their levels before deciding to harvest.
WineFrog explains Titratable Acidity
There are three naturally existing acids in grapes; tartaric, malic and
citric. Tartaric and malic acid make up for 90% of the total acid
components of grape juice. These also increase during the ripening
process and play a significant role in the color, taste and microbiological stability of
the juice. These are the main acids which are measured during a titration for TA.
As grapes ripen with the proper amount of sunshine hours in the growing season, sugars increase and indirectly, acidity decreases. For the correct balance of making wine, it is important that both sugar and acidity levels are in equilibrium. The desired amount of titratable acidity may vary from varietal to varietal.
