It is very likely that any sporadic wine consumer has heard of something called tannin on more than one occasion. Despite being a common term in wine jargon, there are still many fans who use this word without being completely convinced of its real meaning and, just as many, those who do not dare to ask what it is about to avoid possible ridicule.
What does it mean? Do all wines have it? Does its presence in wine have any advantages or disadvantages?
Tannin is a natural substance found in the skin of grapes, in the seeds and in the stem. It belongs to a group of chemicals called polyphenols, along with flavones and anthocyanins. These substances come into contact with the must when the grape grain is broken by crushing or pressing and dissolve in the liquid. Depending on the variety and the vinification, the amount of tannins that will be part of the wine may vary; Varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon are much richer in tannins than others. Similarly, white wines have less tannins than red wines since the contact time of the skins with the must is much shorter.
When when drinking a wine we feel that our mouth is dry, as if something were dragging all our saliva, forcing us to quickly moisten our gums, we can be sure that the wine has a significant amount of tannins and we can refer to it as tannic. This substance is not exclusive to grapes, but other vegetables, such as tea, also contain it in notable quantities; If you remember the feeling you get when drinking a tea that has been infused for longer than necessary, you will be thinking about tannins. Dark chocolate or pomegranate juice are other foods with marked tannicity.
Tannins give the wine structure and aging capacity and can also be obtained, in part, from the staves of the aging barrels, since the wood also contains them. This would explain why some red wine fans prefer barrel-aged whites over young whites, since the tannin content of the former brings them closer, on a tactile level, to reds.
