Acid is more than just high and low. That’s usually the first step in describing a wine—and one of the earliest concepts I understood in my wine education.
But as my palate developed, I started hearing my fellow students use a whole new vocabulary: vibrant, bright, tingly, austere, energetic.
I’m sure they’d been saying these words all along. I just hadn’t been ready to hear them.
As my understanding expanded, so did my confusion.
Vibrant vs. energetic – what’s the difference?
Bright vs. Vivid – aren’t those the same?
Tingly vs. Prickly – just different words for the same sensation?
To me, these terms felt subjective. Personal. Not particularly useful when trying to identify a wine—especially in a blind tasting.
High, medium, and low made sense. They were fixed. Measurable. Reliable.
But this new language? It felt…fluid.
I needed something more structured.
Then I came across Beyond Flavour: Wine Tasting by Structure by Nick Jackson – and everything clicked.
Instead of vague descriptors, it offered a framework:
- Horizontal vs. vertical acid.
- Back-palate or tongue.
- Square or spherical.
These weren’t abstract. They were observable.
Let’s start the next acid journey with horizonal and vertical.
The Horizontal vs. Vertical Set-Up
To compare these shapes, I chose two white wines known for higher acidity: Chardonnay and Riesling.
Chardonnay for its horizontal acid structure.
Riesling for its vertical lift.
To keep variables controlled, I stayed within France where winemaking approaches share some stylistic consistency. A Chardonnay from Burgandy and an Alsace Riesling. Both from the same 2021 vintage to exclude any aging differences.
The Burgundy Chardonnay: Louis Jadot Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru 2021
- Aroma: Strong, almost pronounced
- Flavors: dried herbs (thyme, marjoram), bergamot, lemon peel, green apple, wet stone.
- Acid: High, with its signature horizontal acid shape.
The acid is piercing across the tongue and into the sides of my cheeks. My instinct was to pull inward – to protect, to react. My tongue wagged from side-to-side, trying to soften the acidic sharpness. It’s a wide, lateral sensation. A horizontal stretch of my mouth.
The Alsatian Riesling: Alsace Grand Cru Edmond Rentz 2021
- Aroma: Medium high aroma, slightly restrained for Riesling, but consistent with France.
Flavors: dried lemon, bergamot, flint, hay, oil, petrol, wax.
- Acid: High, and distinctly vertical.
The sensation starts under my lower lip, soon being felt on the top of my mouth. It doesn’t spread outward but lifts up through the center of my mouth toward the roof. My response is immediate: a tightening, a pucker.
The Final Distinction
These wines had more in common than expected:
- Higher levels of aroma and acid
- overlapping flavors (although some distinct differences)
- minimal to no oak influence
- minimal aging characteristics
But the shape of their acid was unmistakably different.
The Chardonnay stretched outward – wide, lateral, pushing across the palate.
The Riesling lifted upward – focused, vertical, driving through the center of my mouth.
Same level of acid. Completely different experience.
Vin There, Drank That 