Malic acid is a naturally occurring acid found in many fruits, giving them a tart flavor. Malic acid also can be derived in powder form and added to wines. Some of its unique properties make it well-suited for use in wines -- and the added sharpness and tartness is a benefit to your palette.
Fermentation
In addition to adding flavor to your foods, adding malic acid to wines results in malolactic acid fermentation. Lactobactilli present in the wine grapes combines with malic acid to give off carbon dioxide and convert it to lactic acid. This process is necessary because it reduces the overall acid level in wine. Lactic acid is smoother than malic acid, meaning the fermentation process can take away some of the tart acidity, making it less hard or sharp-tasting when you drink it. When complete, the wine should be at a pH of about 3.3 on the pH scale. To put this in perspective, 7 is considered neutral and the lower the number, the more acidic it is. During this process, winemakers will use a color-measuring system called color chromatography to ensure the wine is changing to its appropriate color.
Cellaring
Wines that are meant to be cellared and aged use malic acid because the wine's flavor and smoothness will develop over time. The grapes themselves also have some amount of malic acid in them as well. Wines with malolactic acid also tend to retain their flavor longer because they require less added sulfur dioxide to maintain stability. Over time, the wine flavor will become stronger.
Wine Regions
Malic acid is not used in making all wine types. Wines grown in southern California may not use malic acid because these grapes usually do not have as much malic acid. Adding malic acid may affect the wine's flavor. Instead, winemakers may take steps to retain the trace amounts of malic acid already present in the grapes. Malic acid is added to grapes grown in cooler regions, such as Australian wines or wines from Portland, Oregon. Because these grapes tend to have higher malic acid amounts, adding malic acid for fermentation reduces its acidity.
Turbidity
Wines that are cellared over time have a tendency to develop some turbidity -- where cloudiness can develop and sediment can settle on the bottom of the wine. This occurs because wine has small metal ions -- such as copper and iron -- that tend to clump together over time. Malic acid keeps these ions from binding and clumping together over time, helping to reduce turbidity in wine.
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