Tannins

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve enjoyed a glass of wine at some point in your life. But have you ever stopped to think about what gives your favorite vino its unique flavor and character? After armoas, one factor to consider is tannins. Tannins are actually an important element in the wine’s unique flavor, structure, and character. So, grab a glass (or bottle, no judgment here), and let’s explore the world of tannins.

If you drink a glass of red wine, often you will feel your tongue sticking to the palate, your mouth will become dry, and you will feel a puckering sensation in your jaws. This sense of bitterness and astringency can be particularly noticeable on the tongue and gums. The cause is the tannins. Tannins are a type of polyphenol found in many plants, not only in grapes. Tannins have the property of reacting with saliva proteins and drying your mouth. This gives this astringency effect and all the associated sensations. You can feel the same sensation if you brew tea for too long, or if you chew the skin of an apple for several seconds, you have extracted tannins. Tannins are present in tea but also in apple skin, and other plants. In the grape, tannins are present mostly in the skin, but they are also present in seeds and stems.

Tannins are generaly present in red wine. Red wine is made by the maceration of grape juice with the skins and sometimes the stems. the longer the maceration, the more tannic the wine will be. This maceration will extract tannins and anthocyanin (another polyphenol responsible for the red color) and give red wine its structure and color. Tannins are present in the skin of the berry. Berries with thin skin may not produce heavy tannic wine. Thinks about Gamay, generaly more fruity and with low tannins. But grape varieties, while being important, is not the only source of tannins, wine making plays an important role, a short maceration with Merlot grappes will give a fruity wine and not the hard Bordeaux wine style.

Because there is no or little maceration for white wine, it is improbable that you will find tannins in it. The only exception is maceration wines or orange wines. For this kind wine, the juice has to be macerated with the skin for a few hours to several weeks. But the level of tannins is most of the time low.

If you have tested several red wines, you may have noticed that the level of tannins varies between some wines. In a one wine, the effect of tannins disappears after a few seconds while in other wines the effect stays for a longer time.

We can easily create a ranking of tannins, from low to high levels including the persistance in the mouth.

Smooth	you will practically not notice tannins. It is the case for some Orange or maceration wines, and rosé.
Light	tannins are present, but the fruitiness is stronger and the sensation disappear in a second, some good Beaujolais village or some entry-level pinot noirs from burgundy are a good example
Medium	tannins are more concentrated, and they stay longer in the mouth. I could be a good Pinot Noir from Bourgogne or a Morgon
Robust	tannins will fill your mouth, and they stay longer after you swallow the wine. You will find them in a young Saint-Émilion or a rich Rioja wine
Full body or Hard	the wine is harder, a young Bordeaux is the best example of this category.
Harsh	Very hard tannins that stay longer in the mouth, thinks about a young classical Cahors

Tannins evolve with time. If more maceration means more tannins, aging does the opposite. The level of tannins tends to decline with years. When a wine is young, the tannins are like a rowdy group of students ready to party. But as the wine ages, those tannins start to settle down and become more refined, like a group of middle-aged people enjoying tea on a terrasse. Tannins will slowly pair with red pigmen (the anthocyanin) and create sediments in the bottle. This will smooth the tannins and it will change the color of the wine. If you ever try a 16-year Bordeaux, it will more velvety, more round than its younger version. It will go from full body to robust or medium.

Tannins are the compounds that give red wines their flavor, structure, and aging potential. Tannins can be low, medium, or high, and they can be influenced by factors such as the grape variety, the wine-making process, and the aging of the wine. Next time you open a bottle of red wine try to focus on tannins and what they give to the wine.