Confusion about high-acid wines

Cafe Society
1

Beginner wine questions here, so this may be a bit scatterbrained…

In my limited experience, wines that are described as “high-acid” (like Beaujolais Nouveau) just taste kind of fizzy or carbonated. No visible bubbles or anything else like that, but they distinctly remind me of champagne. But maybe champagne is just high-acid, which is why I’m conflating the two separate characteristics. Is this the case, or am I just confused?

Second part: I thought this taste was a little weird for a red, but I’ve had white wines from Italy that are like this, and I liked them. Since I don’t know any names of what I had, how could I find something specific like this?

2

Well, champagne is high-acid, but that’s not what’s causing the bubbles. It has to do with how the wine is bottled, I believe.

High-acid generally just results in a tartness to the wine’s flavor. Whites tend to be a bit more acidic than reds.

3

I know what you mean about “fizziness” in certain wines. I don’t know what causes it, but some wines (more often reds than whites) tingle my tongue and feel ever so slightly fizzy, though they are not by any means carbonated.