No, is the short answer. And if we did the wines wouldn’t have a very long shelf life, and would taste unappetizing, dull and cloying.

Acid is naturally present in all grapes, and most wines have a pH between 2.9 and 3.9 (similar to orange or tomato juice). Between 0.6% – 0.7% of a wine’s volume is acid – made up mostly of tartaric and malic acids (the latter gives a Granny Smith-like tartness). Sugary dessert wines might be 1% acid – or more – as extra acidity is required to balance what would otherwise be sickening sweetness.

Where grapes are harvested with natural acid levels that are too low to make palatable, stable wines – as they routinely are in warmer regions – tartaric, malic or citric acid can be added at the winemaking stage to correct the deficiency. Sometimes ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is added too (whites only), to help protect the wine from premature ageing.

All that said, acidity in finished wines does vary. A good rule of thumb is that cool-climate wines are higher in acid while wines from hotter regions are lower in acid. (As an aside, ‘cool climate’ is a relative term; by Irish standards every wine region is ‘roasting hot climate’. ) Another guide is that whites tend to be more acidic than reds.

If you’re sensitive to acid then give a wide berth to sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Muscadet, Picpoul, Chablis, Riesling, cheap red Burgundies and Sangiovese / Chianti. Instead, seek out plumper styles like Rhône whites, non-Chablis Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Merlot, Californian Zinfandel and most Shiraz.

Have I missed any? Any questions, just shout in the comments!
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Image source: Top Food Facts
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Someone asked this after spying the word on two of our floor-stacked wines, La Mano Bierzo Roble and Valtravieso Ribera del Duero Roble.

Roble is a commonly-seen but non-standardised Spanish labelling term indicating that the wine has been aged in barrel for a period that is less than that required locally to gain the starter Crianza designation, which is used for the youngest official category of oak-matured wine.

In the Spanish ‘hierarchy’ of wines, the ageing / quality ladder runs: Joven / Tinto (young, little or no oak ageing) -> Roble (some oaking) -> (moving onto the three legally-controlled terms) Crianza -> Reserva -> Gran Reserva.

So basically, Roble wines have seen a little bit of oak (less than twelve months anyway) and should present as young and fruity but with a bit of added weight, spice and interest from the wood. Similar terms to Roble include Semi-Crianza (which is slightly misleading as it conflates a legally-controlled term with an unregulated one) and the self-explanatory x meses en barrica (x months in barrel).

With 90% of Spanish blancos and rosados being totally unoaked, the whole Crianza / barrel ageing system as outlined above refers overwhelmingly to red wines and, in particular, to those coming from blue-chip DOs Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

The Chianti Classico Consorzio has created a new classification – Gran Selezione – to sit at the top of its hierarchy. Once the Italian Ministry of Agriculture gives its approval the new law will come into effect later this year and wines from the 2010 vintage – not yet sold – can qualify for the title.

In essence a designation for single-estate wines (much prized in the wine world), products in this new category must be crafted solely from grapes grown by the proprietor (i.e. not bought on the spot market or from contract growers), cannot be sold within 30 months of the harvest (6 months longer than Riserva) so as to allow time for Sangiovese’s classic astringency to resolve, and must receive at least three months’ pre-sale bottle maturation. Yields are kept at 52.5 hectolitres per hectare, the same as for regular Riserva.

The idea isn’t to eclipse what was until now the DOCG’s flagship band, Chianti Classico Riserva, but to highlight an especially-deserving subset of these wines. The quality of Chianti Classico, of which 78% is exported, has never been higher – 60% of the vineyards have been replanted with superior clones over the past fifteen years – and this latest measure is an attempt to further raise the bar for producers and for the prestigious DOCG to differentiate itself from its less celebrated sibling, Chianti. Estates expect to be able to charge a significant premium for their Gran Selezione offerings too.

Reaction has been mixed with some big names like Piero Antinori heralding the new measure as a major improvement: “Chianti Classico bought in bulk and bottled by wine merchants won’t be allowed to use Gran Selezione on the label”, he notes approvingly. Some are not sure, with one bet-hedging producer saying he didn’t know if Gran Selezione was going to be a “Gran Successo (a big success) or just a Gran Casino (a big mess)”.

Others have outright dismissed the new category as mere “bureaucratic tinkering” that doesn’t add any value to Chianti Classico or do anything to shine a spotlight on the region’s choicest terroirs.

One of the most valid criticisms levelled at Gran Selezione is that the typical consumer is already unsure or unaware of the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico (answer: the latter represents the historical heartland of the production zone, must adhere to stricter production laws, and has to be at least 80% Sangiovese, as opposed to 70% for the standard version) and that introducing new terminology will only muddy these waters even more.

If drinkers understand the Chianti / Classico distinction then they have to get their head around what Riserva means as well (answer: the wine has been aged for an extended and legally-defined period of time). It is easy to imagine that only the most involved wine drinkers will go to the trouble of comprehending all of this and then trying to assimilate the details of Gran Selezione too.

And as if all that wasn’t enough to absorb, in a side measure the Consorzio decided that the trademark black rooster logo that graces the necks of all Chianti Classicos is to be redesigned. No one said it’s easy trying to keep on top of the Italian wine world.

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See all our wines from Italy here, with 20% off until 30th April.

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Note: Image sourced from the official Chianti Classico website.

Want to know your Chablis from your Chardonnay, or your Chateauneuf from your Chateau no way?

Our Wine for Beginners course is the perfect introduction to life’s elixir, covering all aspects of wine from how to taste, understanding labels and how wine is made, through to the major grape varieties and the famous wine regions of the world.

Over six informal and fun evenings, you’ll taste while you learn, receiving tasting glasses and notes to keep, and hopefully making some like-minded new friends.

Our next course starts on Wednesday the 20th of February, over six nights, one evening per week over six weeks.

Where: Curious Wines, Kinsale Road Commercial Centre, Kinsale Road, Cork.

When: Every Wednesday for six weeks, starting 20th February 2013, 7.30pm-9.00pm.

Cost: €120 (€90 for Wine Club members).

To sign up, just call us on 1800 99 18 44 or you can book online here. Do hurry, though – you don’t want to be late for school!

Want to know your Chablis from your Chardonnay, or your Chateauneuf from your Chateau no way?

Our Wine for Beginners course is the perfect introduction to life’s elixir, covering all aspects of wine from how to taste, understanding labels and how wine is made, through to the major grape varieties and the famous wine regions of the world.

Over six informal and fun evenings, you’ll taste while you learn, receiving tasting glasses and notes to keep, and hopefully making some like-minded new friends.

Our new course starts on Tuesday 18th of September 2012, over six weeks, one evening per week.

Where: Curious Wines, Kinsale Road Commercial Centre, Kinsale Road, Cork.

When: every Tuesday for six weeks, starting 18th September 2012, 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

Cost: €90 (€45 for Wine Club members).

To sign up, just call us on 1800 99 18 44. But do hurry – you don’t want to be late for school!