Volatile acidity: component and threshold

The standard

A measured threshold concentration separates the unavoidable base level from the amount at which volatile acidity marks the wine. What counts is the analytical value, not the first impression.

Criteria

• The content is determined analytically, not estimated
• Base level and perceptible excess are kept apart
• The threshold depends on wine type and its making
• A small content counts as normal, not as a fault

Distinction

Volatile acidity ≠ Acetic acid bacteria: one is the substance, the other its most common cause. Volatile acidity ≠ Fault vs. style: below the threshold it is a component, above it a flaw. A measured threshold concentration draws that line at the value, not at the taste.