(VinePair) - The term Acidity or Acid, you hear it often on the puckered lips of your wine guzzling friends, but what does it actually mean and why are acidity driven wines suddenly all the rage? Acidity is defined as that pucker or bright bite you experience on your palate, reminiscent of a fresh squeeze of lemon – think about the sensation you get from drinking a fresh squeezed glass of Lemonade. That’s acidity.

When acidity is truly taken advantage of by the winemaker, it’s the player inside the wine that makes everything else come into balance. Think about how a spritz of lemon brings out the flavors in food, similar to a dash of salt. That’s what acid does as well. When it’s absent, the wine can be flat, flabby or overly heavy. And that’s not good. A wine is in balance when all of it’s four main traits – acidity, tannin, sweetness, alcohol – are aligned. Too much sugar and the acid is muted, too much acid and the wine is harsh. Harmony is key.