Most of us simply drink and enjoy our wines, and that's the way it should be! Wine is to enjoy and we all know what we like when we taste it. Knowing about the structure of a wine isn't necessarily important to our enjoyment of it, but it's always interesting to understand more.
Perhaps you're out tasting one afternoon, and while you're sipping something really great, you hear someone discussing tannins in the wine. So just what are tannins?
Tannins are a very complex set of chemicals that occur in all plants, and are associated with "astringency" of a wine. The word "astringent" means "binding, drawing tight, severe, austere". Tannins tend to make the mouth suck inwards.
Tannins have the property of binding proteins together, so they affect the proteins in saliva making them stringy, hence the effect on the inside of the mouth. They also have the ability to react with polysaccharides, carbohydrates and enzymes, all present in the mouth.
They are responsible for the colors seen in autumn leaves or flowers and literally, tannins are used in tanneries for the production of leathers. Skin proteins are bound when soaked in tannins and they make the skin a tough material - leather.
When it comes to winemaking, tannins come from the skins, stems, and seeds of the grape during the winemaking process. Some people love them, some people don't, and winemakers try to achieve them in lovely balance.
Too much tannin, and a wine will be overly tart and bitter leaving a strong unpleasant aftertaste. But even STRONG tannins are not necessarily bad. In fact, most aged wines of distinction started off with heavy tannins. The bitterness of the tannins in a wine disappears with storage in the bottle over time. As your wine ages, a complex chemical reaction makes the bitter side of tannins disappear and the wine changes to create a complex array of wonderful flavors. Certain flavors and characteristics can only be achieved through this kind of aging. A high level of tannins also gives a wine longevity. A highly tannic wine can be happily stored for long periods of time. The tannins act as a preservative. So some exceptionally good red wines are not at their best until they are 7 to 20 years old! Wines like that are made to be aged. You wouldn't want to open them right after bottling. You would probably find them actually undrinkable due to the pucker factor! But tannins are vitally important if a wine is intended to age. Some of what are considered the very best wines from good vintages are still a good drink at between 50 and 100 years old! But most of us just don't have that kind of time to wait to enjoy a good bottle of wine!
Still, tannins are also important in wines not intended to be aged for long periods. Winemaker's strive for a level that is sufficient to provide structure, but not so heavy that it dominates the enjoyment of the other components of the wine. This can be adjusted by how long the juice sets on the skins with all the seeds and stems before it is pressed off. People enjoy different levels of tannin. It's really an individual preference. Tannins have different qualities, and may be described as harsh (especially in a wine meant to be aged that is opened too young), soft, stalky, chalky, etc.
Our wines are for your enjoyment now, though a few of them are definitely age worthy as well. We hope our Tanis tannins are balanced just right for your pallet!
