ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:1
 | | 07/27/2003 9:11 PM |
| | I often hear the word tannin used in describing wine. How do tannins affect the flavor of a wine? | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Sorter
Posts:398
| | 07/27/2003 9:48 PM |
| Emjay,
Welcome to the boards......
Tannin primarily affects the texture, or feel, of the wine(mainly red wines possess tannins).
I'm sure others will be along with more thorough answers.....
Edited.....to correct my mistake  | | | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:12891
| | 07/27/2003 10:13 PM |
| emjay,
welcome to the family! the definition according to WS:
Tannin: The mouth-puckering substance--found mostly in red wines--that is derived primarily from grape skins, seeds and stems, but also from oak barrels. Tannin acts as a natural preservative that helps wine age and develop
i hope that this helps. | | | |
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love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts:12386
| | 07/28/2003 12:12 AM |
| | Tannins are best compared (in my opinion) to eating an unripe banana. A banana that is not ready to be eaten yet. You know what I mean. It leaves that dry, unpleasant feeling in your mouth. So, if the tannins are overpowering the wine, you will not get the full effect of that wine. The wine will not show its best. And, as a result, you may say that the wine is not that good or what you expected. When in fact, all it needs is time (or decanting time). | | | |
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stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Thief
Posts:2813
| | 07/28/2003 2:12 AM |
| Jump,
Notice that it's "... mostly red wines". White wines have tannins also, to a lesser (frequently, almost unnoticeable) extent.
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Cheers, y'all | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Sorter
Posts:398
| | 07/28/2003 3:07 AM |
| | "my bad," right you are...... | | | |
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Bradley Molzen
Bayonne, NJ
Wine Lover
Posts:4974
| | 07/28/2003 3:20 AM |
| When I first got into wine about 1 1/2 years ago, it took me a long while to discern tannins in a wine with absolute certainty. I always questioned whether what I was experiencing in a wine was indeed tannin....
I think in the end, it was experiencing a wine with others and listening to what they said about a particular wine and what I associated with it.
Ok, ok. I give. It was experiencing an entire TRUCK LOAD of wine that gave me the experience necessary!
Anyone have a currently available example of each? A wine loaded with tannin vs a wine without much tannin at all?
I'd choose just about any young spanish red against most pinot noirs..... | |
If you drink wine, you get smarter.... | |
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TCK
Barrel Filler
Posts:1279
| | 07/28/2003 12:54 PM |
| | Make a super strong glass of tea, it will give you a similar sensation to the tannins in wine. | | | |
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Dr_Tannin
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2498
| | 08/14/2003 12:48 AM |
| Actually, just suck 3 seconds on the dipped tea bag then smack your lips. That's the feel of strong tannins. Called astringency in this degree.
When combining the tactile sensation with flavor of glycerol and heat of alcohol you have your wallop of wine. More soft and sensuous chemicals and acids add to give the complexity and freshness. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2098
| | 08/15/2003 5:34 AM |
| | You can also taste tannins from eating fresh grapes. The black or red ones seem to have the strongest tannins, the white grapes less. | | | |
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KillerB
Barrel Racker
Posts:1533
| | 08/16/2003 2:00 PM |
| Tea is always the best comparison. Trouble is that it works in reverse. If you leave tea brewing in a pot for too long then you get too much tannin. Here, we call it 'stewed' tea and the best place for it is the sink. Freshly brewed tea which is poured the right amount of time after making is wondrously balanced and is one of the wonders of the world.
Is this thread going to get reported now that I've mentioned tea?
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AlexRed
Northern VA
Barrel Filler
Posts:1347
| | 07/13/2005 6:57 PM |
| Resurrecting an old thread here...
I was recently asked to explain tannins to someone that really doesn’t know much about wine. She was drinking a glass of 2002 Louis Martini Cab and turned to me and said “So this has no tannins…”. I was then trying to describe the difference between tannins from the grape skins and tannins imparted from oak treatment. Turns out she doesn’t like the pin-prick feeling on her tongue, so we were trying to figure out which wines she had experienced that in and whether it was from oak or skins. I was trying to explain the tongue drying effect of what I associate with grape skin tannins, and the woody (and then vanilla) taste that Oak might cause. Ultimately the goal is to have it (oak) mesh with the fruit so that you can’t taste “wood” per se and the overall flavor is better. If consumed ‘too early” one might taste more oak and or a less smooth/integrated wine…
I was voting she didn’t like youngish significantly oaked reds, but I could tell that she was getting confused.
Any suggestions on how best to explain this? Skin tannins vs. Oak tannins? Or am a totally off base? | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:2
| | 07/14/2005 6:08 PM |
| Alex,
These are all good questions. Skin and seed tannins are considered 'condensed' tannins, are non-hydrolyzable, and contribute most to the drying sensation on the tongue and, for some people and depending upon the quantitative level of tannins present, on the inside of the mouth as well. Oak dervived tannins are hydrolyzable and do not impart the same drying element. Depending upon the oak product used and where the barrels come from (if barrels are used), they can impart all kinds of flavor and aroma qualities to the wine.
The 'pin prick' feeling on your friend's tongue is an interesting sensation - really not sure what might have caused that, other than a high quantitative level of tannins or perhaps a high bitterness or sourness in the wine combined with the tannins.
The concept that a red wine 'does not have any tannins' can, in some instances, be true. Generally, though, all red wines have some quantitative level of tannins. There can be a 20 fold difference in quantitative tannin levels from a specific varietal, though. In addition, there are many things that can magnify (sourness, degree of polymerization, abscence of polysaccharides, higher alcohol) or minimize (decreased sourness, low degree of polyerization, presence of polysaccharides, lower alcohol) these affects.
Hope this help!
ljswine | | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:2
| | 07/14/2005 6:09 PM |
| For a wine loaded with tannin, try a plumpjack cab - HUGE quantitative tannin levels. For a wine with light tannins, try something like an Edna Valley Pinot or Syrah - much lower. Hope this help!
Ljswine | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Racker
Posts:1907
| | 07/14/2005 6:10 PM |
| | Welcome to VC ljswine!! | | | |
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Budman
Master of Wine
Posts:11841
| | 07/14/2005 6:58 PM |
| Welcome to VC, ljs. We appreciate your input!  | | | |
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AlexRed
Northern VA
Barrel Filler
Posts:1347
| | 07/14/2005 9:43 PM |
| Yes. Thank you very much. it was one of those situations where I felt like i could explain it , but when i started to i found that i was confusing her, and not doing a good job. The wine we were drinking did have skin tannins just not as much as she evidently was familiar with or "used" to.
I found myself talking about 2 types of tannins, one drying the mouth and one giving nuances of oak. She didn't quite buy that there was 2 types and i guess i wasn't very convincing.
Thanks for the more technical description. at least i know that i wasn't totally off base. | | | |
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Robert Prosperino
Brewster, NY
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2483
| | 07/17/2005 3:08 AM |
| | LJS - welcome to VC! | | | |
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