The Second Fundamental Trait of a Good Wine -- Tannin

Have you ever sipped a wine and immediately experienced a drying sensation in your mouth? That astringent sensation, generally associated with red wines, is associated with tannins.

Tannin is a chemical compound (polyphenol) that occurs naturally in the skin, seeds and stems of grapes. It can also be found in tea leaves, nuts with skins (e.g., almonds and walnuts) and dark chocolate, just to name a few.

Red wines are generally the ones that are highly tannic. This is because the process of making red wine involves leaving the grape skins, seeds and stems in contact with the juice of the grape during fermentation as shown in the photo.

But, tannic compounds also come from wood. So, barrel aging of wines can introduce yet another source of tannin.

Tannin is what gives a wine its complexity and depth of character. Without tannin, the wine would be 'watery,' 'thin' or 'flabby.' And, tannin is a great defender of oxidation. So, it defends against the small amounts of oxygen that gets introduced into a barrel or bottle that could otherwise spoil the wine.

With time, tannins are also responsible for producing that wonderful silky-smooth sensation in wines. The tannin compound actually chemically changes with time causing them to feel smoother and less harsh. Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of tannin and, when young, can have big tannins that can be described as 'rough' or 'dusty.' But with age the tannin ‘softens’ yielding the smooth sensation.

So, there’s a quick overview of the second fundamental trait of a good wine - Tannin. It works in conjunction with the other fundamental traits to add balance, complexity, and structure to wine.

Next time we’ll look at alcohol which is the third fundamental trait. Cheers!

The Four Fundamental Traits of a Good Wine

There are four fundamental traits that comprise a good wine and they all have to work together in balanced harmony. They are Acidity, Tannin, Alcohol and Sweetness.

Let’s start by looking at Acidity.

A wine’s acidity starts in the vineyard. Grapes that have not yet ripened have high acid levels and low sugar levels. As the grapes ripen, the sugar levels rise and the acid levels fall. Grapes grown in cooler climates typically have higher levels of acid because there’s less warmth and sunshine available to increase grapes’ sugar.

The most prevalent acids found in wine are tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. While you might think that citric acid would be most prevalent in wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio that have such great citrus flavors, the truth is that citric acid is found only in very minute quantities in wine grapes. It often has a concentration about 1/20th of tartaric acid. Malic acid can be intentionally created in a wine. When a wine undergoes malolactic fermentation (it’s actually a ‘conversion’ not a fermentation) it converts harsh malic acid, the kind found in green apples, into softer lactic acid which is best known in milk. A wine with high acid will usually taste crisper, be a bit more tart on the palate and result in a refreshing mouthfeel. But, by converting that acid to malic acid results in Chardonnay that has a soft buttery mouthfeel. Most red wines undergo malolactic conversion to soften the acids and give them a smoother mouthfeel.

Finally, acidity allows long-term aging. High acid wines are more likely to improve with time than those with lesser amounts.

So, that’s a quick look at acidity. Next time we’ll take a look at the second fundamental trait of a good wine — tannin. Until then, cheers!