Acidity in wine

My two year old loves these lollies and the juxtaposition of intense sourness followed by sweet reward in the centre. Some wines (notably sweet white ones) also rely on this interplay of opposites.

Acidity in wine is often written about in terms of speed and excitement - when right, an acidic wine is racy, brisk, lively, thrilling. . .

It is not hard to think that a wine's acidity is its pace maker, its beat. Too little acidity and it becomes dull and listless. Too much and it takes over - instead of giving life and rhythm it makes the wine distracting and disjointed. On the other hand when it is just right (physiological instead of pathological) - it is the perfect foil to sweetness, it refreshes and makes the mouth water in readiness for food (or more wine) and it enlivens the soul and preserves the wine (if not the drinker).

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