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The major characteristics of a wine include alcohol level, acidity and pH, residual sugar and its level of tannin.
Tannin is manifested in food and drink as bitterness and astringency. Examples include strong tea or coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, wine. And, red wine, in particular.
Let’s focus here on the characteristic of tannin in wine.
To get very briefly technical, one of the defining characteristics of tannins is that they combine with proteins and precipitate, or extract them, from solutions. When these tannin proteins are precipitated from the saliva in your mouth, it ceases to be an efficient lubricator of your mouth and tongue, creating the astringent sensation we most commonly associate with tannins.
Tannins in wine can come from five sources: grape skins, seeds, stems, oak.
Good tannin management by wine makers avoids harshness or bitterness in the final wine. Understanding these factors helps winemakers create wines with balanced tannin levels that contribute to the wine’s structure, mouthfeel, and aging potential.
The amount of tannins in wine can be influenced by a number of factors. Here’s a top-level summary:
The Grape, its Seeds and the Stems
Tannin comes from the grape’s skin, its seed and the stems
Different grape varieties have differing levels of tannins
Red wine grapes contribute the highest levels of tannin
Tannat, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon are known for having especially high levels of tannins
Tannat is known to produce wine with big tannin. This is partly because the
This Article was originally published on Ever Wonder Wine
