ALL ABOUT TANNINS

Tannins, the same ones that stain your teeth and leave you with a dry feeling in your mouth when you taste red wine.

The word tannin or tannin (both spellings are valid) probably comes from the Gallic name for the oak tree "tann". It was from the bark of this large common tree that our ancestors drew the elements to tan their leather.

WHERE ARE TANNINS FOUND?

Tannins come from the skin of the grape; the thicker the skin, the richer it is in tannins and colouring pigments which are released during the skin maceration of the grapes.

Some grape varieties are more tannic (and therefore more colouring) than others:

Low tannin varieties: pinot noir, gamay, cinsault

Moderately tannic grape varieties: Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Tannic grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon, syrah, malbec, tannat

The seeds contain an oleaginous substance known as polyphenols.

Try biting into a grape seed and you will understand!

The stalk is the green and vegetal part on which the grapes are hung. When the grapes are not destemmed, the vinification is done with the stalks, which release their tannins during the operation.

Some wines are matured in oak barrels; depending on whether the barrel is new (from a first wine) or from several wines, they will be more or less tannic.

This also depends on the quality of the wood, its origin, but also on the toasting process, which consists in changing the chemical composition of the wood. The intensity of the toasting and the grain of the wood are decisive in the aromatic complexity of the wine.