What do tannins do

They occur in certain fruits, tree bark, roots, leaves, and of course, wine. Bitter in flavor, they leave a drying sensation on the tongue. Black tea is an excellent example of high-tannin food. In terms of wine, tannins are in grape skins, pips, and stems.

You can usually tell if a wine will be tannic even before tasting it. However, some white wines such as chardonnay can be higher in tannins. Upon first sip, note how the wine feels on your tongue, paying particular attention to the middle section.

If your tongue and teeth feel dry, chances are your wine is a higher tannin variety. Some winemakers purposely add tannin powder into their wines to raise the tannin level.

Because tannins act as a natural antioxidant, which protects the wine from bacteria. As a result, these powders help the wine to age successfully, taking on complexity in the process. Still, tannin powders are unnecessary additives and are usually only used in large-batch, low-quality winemaking. Remontage , or pump-over, offers a slightly more effective extraction.

The liquid at the bottom of the fermenting vat is drawn off and pumped back over the grape skins. Some wineries also have so-called roto-fermenters, which are like giant front-loading washing machines that rotate. The movement helps extract both tannin and color. Some winemakers press in different batches at different pressures for greater control, wherein the batches under the highest pressure will be the most tannic.

Employing a variety of wines with varying degrees of tannic extraction enables the winemaker to achieve a particular blend consistent across numerous vintages. The best winemakers base tannin management on a multitude of factors, which include the ripeness of the grapes, their skins and the desired wine style. Aging freshly fermented wine in new oak barrels will leach tannins from the wood into the wine.

Good tannin management avoids harshness or bitterness, which happens when grapes are not sufficiently ripe or when overextracted. Some white wines undergo a short period of maceration. This is known as skin contact. Freshly harvested grapes are crushed and left for a few hours or longer on their skins before they start to ferment. These wines have a tannic element, though not as strong as it can be in reds.

The bubbles in sparkling wines act like millions of little magnifying glasses that highlight each aspect of the wine. Since these bubbles provide a textural element, and bottle-fermented wines also have texture from aging on yeast, additional texture from tannins usually come across as bitter, and the bubbles would exacerbate astringency.

The very few red sparkling wines that exist, like sparkling Shiraz or Lambrusco , counteract bitterness with a little sweetness. The wine will still taste dry, but a touch or sometimes more of sugar will take the edge off. Or for expressions of the same variety from very different growing regions.

The former will likely be made with riper fruit at greater alcohol potential and the tannins will, therefore, be soft, rounded and velvety. Tannins do play an important role in wine ageing. Evolution of grape tannins and the tannins imparted by wood contribute to changing aroma, flavour and textural characteristics over time.

The nature and number of tannins change naturally: the tannin molecules will gradually polymerise combine to form larger chains and eventually precipitate as sediment. Once polymerised the tannins will no longer impart any bitterness or astringency effect. Tannins are mostly associated with wine — both red and skin-macerated whites the so-called orange wines.

But you will also find them easily in tea, coffee and dark chocolate. While present in many fruits namely grapes! Home Learn. While knowing what this term means is not a necessity for enjoying a glass of wine — really! You experience the effect of tannins any time you drink a wine that creates a drying sensation in your mouth.

Tannins are naturally occurring compounds that exist inside grape skins, seeds and stems. The scientific word for these compounds is polyphenols.