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Citric acid

Acids and deacidifiers

Small acid corrections and iron-haze prevention, but microbially unstable.

Typical dose

Kept small, up to roughly 1 g/L; the US limits citric additions. Bench-trial.

When to add it

Finished, sulphited wine only, never one that will see malolactic.

In practice

Bacteria convert citric acid into diacetyl and acetic acid, so it belongs only in a finished white that is sulphited and will not undergo malolactic. Its honest use is chelating iron to hold off a metal haze, not acidification, where tartaric is safer.

Linked faults are the ones this addition either treats or, used wrongly, causes. The fault page says which, and whether it can be undone.