Tannins

Tannins..you hear that word a lot when you drink wine..but what are Tannins?

Tannins re a family of organic compounds that are found in grape skins, seeds and stems. During the aging process, oak barrels infuse tannin into the juice as well. The are an excellent antioxidant and natural preservative. This hps give wine structure and texture. Tannins provide an important flavor dimension in wine.

With red wine, grape skin contact is longer, and is the barrel aging, resulting in a stronger tannindimension of the wine.

When you drink wine and it causes you to pucker, this sensation in the mouth and back of the throat is referred to as tannic. Visually, tannin forms part of the natural sediment found in the bottle of the wine.

Red wines with little tannin should be drunk young. Wine that has a lot of tannins needs to age and will improve (hopefully) in three or more years. As the wine ages, the tannins soften and become less noticeable.