Help... I'm a Newbie

[Innkeeper]

Acid is a necessary component in wine, which should be kept in balance with fruit, alcohol, tannin, and other compenents. It is more important in white wine because white wine lacks tannin. Tartaric and malic acids come from the grape, and other acids are sometimes added in the fermentation process. For example a lot if not most American Chardonnay undergoes malolactic fermentation which produces lactic acid. Acid is measured as a percentage of vulume just as alcohol is.
Wines vary from around 5.5% to 7.5% acid per liter.

Some wines, both red and white, are higher in acid than others. The decision to go with wines from higher acid grapes depends on your idea of food matching. Some people like to match high acid wine with low acid food, and others, like me, like to match high acid wine with high acid food.

Without food, again it is personal preference. Some people like to quaff sauvignon blanc which is very high in acid, or the red barbera. Again, I'm one of those people.