Lets look at a few examples of alcohol levels. French and Italian wines. Most French and Italian wines (old world) are in the 12% range. Italian Wines are noted for being served with foods. Present wines from the New World (US, Australia, etc), it is hard trying to find wines that are less than 14%.
What is the affect on the cellar life of wines (low verses high acidity). This is another topic that could be reviewed.
Here is a list that I found that summarizes the effects that PH levels have on wine quality. When looking at this table, remember that a PH of 1 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral and 14 is the most basic.
Oxidation: Less in Low, More in High.
Amount of color: More in Low, Less in High.
Kind of color: Ruby on Low, Browner in High.
Bacterial Fermentation: Less in low, More in High.
According to this, wines that have more acid are preserved and protected better over time. The length of time is not defined, so I would interpret the time element to mean from bottling to consumption. Whether that is 2 weeks or 30 years. In Chablis France, during low sugar years, they are allowed to add sugar to the grape juice (chaptalization). The addition of sugar in winemaking is not allowed in California. However, the addition of tartaric acid (and others acids) is allowed to increase the acidity of the wine.
In summary, we need acids for a couple of reasons. And as a note, we are talking about tartaric and malic acids (good acids) and not acetic acid (bad acids). As we have seen, acids are needed to preserve and provide a wine with good color, no oxidation, etc. Acids are also required to provide crisp fresh taste when we taste a wine. Probably most noticeable in certain whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis and some Chardonnays. It is also important when eating fatty foods to cut thoroughly the fat and cleanse the palate before the next bite. Doesn’t Spaghetti and meatballs with a fine Italian Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino (one of my favorites) sound good?