{"id":18161,"date":"2023-02-24T09:33:47","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T08:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vinhood.com\/?p=18161"},"modified":"2024-02-21T16:16:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T15:16:51","slug":"tannins-what-they-are-chemistry-and-tasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vinhood.com\/en\/magazine-en\/tannins-what-they-are-chemistry-and-tasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Tannins: what they are, chemistry and tasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who has not heard of tannins at least once in their life? And not just talking about wine because, as we will discover, they are present in other products as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, let’s start from the beginning: what exactly are they? And how do they affect our perception of wine?<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s take a brief chemistry lesson: Tannin is a natural polyphenol found in plants (in seeds, bark and leaves) and in the skin of fruits. Polyphenols are macromolecules consisting of phenols, which are complex bonds of oxygen and hydrogen molecules.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The term “tannin” has no connection to food production; in fact, it is derived from an ancient Latin word meaning “tanner” and refers to the extract of gall nuts, rich in tannic acid, used to turn animal hides into leather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tannins in wine bring <\/span>bitterness<\/b> and <\/span>astringency<\/b>, as well as <\/span>complexity<\/b>. They are found mainly in red wines, although some white wines contain tannins due to aging in wooden barrels or fermentation on the skins. If you want to find out how to taste them best, you should learn how to serve them in the right way: don’t miss our article <\/a><\/span>to find out that a lot of tannin, means a lot of decanting. In the meantime, to give you a better understanding of the tactile sensation that allows you to recognize tannins we will resort to an evergreen example: <\/span>place a wet tea bag on your tongue<\/b> and the sensation of dryness and roughness perceived will be exactly the work of tannins. Is a wine as lappant as an unripe persimmon? Then it is strongly tannic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although wines with pronounced tannins may seem harsh and astringent in themselves, they are sometimes the best possible partner for certain foods and are a key ingredient in a wine’s ability to age well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tannins, in fact, are more harsh in particularly young wines, but they can be controlled during the production of the wine itself. As the wine ages, <\/span>they give it a unique structure<\/b>, making it complex and enveloping on the palate for an unforgettable tasting experience. Try a vertical tasting of one of the most unequivocally tannin-rich grapes, Nebbiolo (link to <\/span>https:\/\/www.vinhood.com\/magazine\/recensioni-prodotti\/nebbiolo-un-solo-vitigno-per-molteplici-eccellenze\/<\/span><\/a> ), and you will taste the differences!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tannini<\/p>\n

WHERE CAN I FIND THEM?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As we said, <\/span>red wines have more tannins than white wines<\/b>, but not all reds are the same. Here are some examples of red varietals with high tannin content:<\/span><\/p>\n