Tannat (tahn-naht) is a very old grape variety. It is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northwest Spain, as well as a centuries-old association with Madiran in southwest France.
In the late 19th century Tannat was taken to Uruguay by Basque immigrants, where it flourished, and has since become the national red grape variety of the country
In terms of worldwide production of Tannat, Uruguay is second only to France
In Uruguay, Tannat is also known as Harriague (Ha-ree-AH-gay), surname of the first producer to plant it in the country
Tannat is known to produce wine with big tannin. This is partly because the Tannat grape has very thick skin but also due to the fact that the Tannat grape is unique in that it has 4-5 seeds (pips) per berry while most other wine grapes only have 2-3. Grape skins and seeds are major contributors to the tannin in a wine
Tannat grapes are also relatively small, thus they have a high skin to pulp ratio
When winemakers age Tannat in oak barrels they often age it in “used” barrels (after 3-4 other wine-aging uses) to avoid introducing significant additional tannins
The upside to all this tannin in wines produced from Tannat is that they have great structure and aging potential
Tannat has been noted for its “Health Benefits” because it contains the highest levels of procyanidins and the phenolic compound Resveratrol of any grape variety. These characteristics are thought to provide cardiovascular benefits by reducing cholesterol and lipid levels when the wine is consumed in moderate quantities
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