Making balanced quality wine is a complex procedure, with a myriad of control processes. Chief among them is acidity management. Though this topic is an essential component of all winemaking texts, covered in lesser to greater degree, Acidity Management in Musts and Wines is the first exhaustive treatment of the subject in print. It is the definitive guide to arguably one of the most delicate operations in the development of a fine wine.
This revised and expanded second edition includes additional chapters such as on acidification by biological means, new material on malolactic fermentation, and a critical discourse on the notion that pH must be lowered 'at all costs'. The authors first examine the acids' individual characteristics, their interaction with mineral cations, and the sensory experience resulting therefrom. Then they describe acidification and deacidification procedures and how to conduct preliminary sensory trials. Lastly, the book delves deeply into the principles of crystal stabilization.