Tannin Levels in Wine
Tannins
Tannins are small bitter particles found in trees and plants.
In wines they come from grape skins, stems, seeds, and oak barrels.
Tannins are present in red wines, almost never in white wines.
High tannins
Bold red wines
Medium tannins
Medium red wines
Low tannins
Light red wines
No tannins
White wines
What do Tannins Taste?
You cannot taste tannins but you can feel them:
Try to chew on: Grape Seeds, Tea Leaves, Walnuts or Banana Skin, and you can feel a dryness in your mouth and a bitterness on your tongue.
Tannins refers to using bark (Latin tannum = oak bark) for tanning animal skin into leather.
| White Wines | |
| White Wines (Oaked) | |
| Light Rosé Wines | |
| Bodied Rosé Wines | |
| Beaujolais | |
| Burgund | |
| Pinot Noir | |
| Grenache | |
| Barbera | |
| Valpolicella | |
| Merlot | |
| Rhône South | |
| Cabernet Franc | |
| Primitivo | |
| Sangiovese | |
| Tempranillo | |
| Chianti | |
| Malbec | |
| Rioja | |
| Brunello | |
| Montepulciano | |
| Zinfandel | |
| Bordeaux | |
| Cab. Sauvignon | |
| Pinotage | |
| Shiraz | |
| Rhône North | |
| Barolo | |
| Barbaresco | |
| Nebbiolo |
Tannins in Wine
Tannins are passed into wine from grape skins, seeds, and stems.
Tannins in wine can also come from wood storing (oak aging).
Oak tannins tend to attack the front of the tongue. Skin tannins tend to attach the back, while intense tannins (stem and seeds) attack the teeth and gums.
A wine with very strong tannins is often better when aged. Years of storing in a bottle will soften the tannins.
| Strong Tannins |
Nebbiolo based (Barolo, Barbaresco) Tannat Shiraz/Syrah Bordaux wines (Cabernet Sauvignon) Sangiovese based (Chianti) Malbec |
| Smooth Tannins |
Merlot Tempranillo based (Rioja) Zinfandel Primitivo |
| Light Tannins |
Gamay based (Beaujolais) Pinot Noir Valpolicella Lambrusco |
Red Wine / White Wine
Red wines are made by fermenting the grapes along with the skin and the seeds to extract color and tannins.
Tannins play an important role in red wine making.
White wines contain little tannins because the grape juice is femented after the skin and seeds have been removed.
Acid plays the most important role in white wines.
Tannins and Food
Red wine and fat creates a "win-win" situation:
The tannins in wine melt the fat in the meat and releases the meat flavors.
The fat in the meat softens the tannins in wine and releases the wine flavors.
The more textured the food (fatty like duck or chewy like steak) the more tannin is needed in the wine.
Tannins are attracted by fatty proteins:
- Your saliva is full of protein. This is why your gums dryes when drinking tannic wines.
- Lamb is a good example of a food which coats your mouth with fat.
- The tannins in red wine attach themselves to the protein and strip them from your mouth, leaving it feeling cleansed and ready for a next mouthful.
Red Meat Loves Tannins!
Tannins are bitter and responsible for an astringent and dry gum sensation.
But tannins works out magically when it comes to clean your mouth from the coat of fat of a steak.
This is pure chemistry: tannins bond with proteins, soften the fat, and release the meat's flavor.
Tannins are Healty
The astringent (drying) effect you feel when eating Pomegranate is the effect of tannins.
The unpleasant taste of tannins protects plants from birds, pest and insect attacks.
Tannins also protect people against cancer (slowing down cancer cell division).
- Tannins are antioxidants
- Tannins are anti bacterial
- Tannins preserve wine
- Tannins make it possible to store wine (a long time)