Freshness and acidity: impression vs. figure

The standard

The separate assessment keeps the analytical acidity value and the perceived impression of freshness apart, rather than deriving one from the other.

Criteria

• Acidity is recorded as a measurement, freshness as a sensory impression
• A high acidity content guarantees no fresh impression
• Residual sweetness, alcohol and aromatics shift freshness relative to acidity alone
• Freshness can persist while acidity analytically declines

Distinction

Acidity ≠ freshness: acidity is the measurable cause, freshness the perceived effect, which also depends on sweetness, alcohol and fruit. Acidity ≠ malic acid: total acidity comprises several acids, not only one. The separate assessment prevents a laboratory value from being taken for a sensory impression.