Oak tannins tend to attack the front of the tongue. Skin tannins tend to attach the back, while intense tannins (stem and seeds) attack the teeth and gums.
A wine with very strong tannins is often better when aged. Years of storing in a bottle will soften the tannins.
Red Wine / White Wine
Red wines are made by fermenting the grapes along with the skin and the seeds to extract color and tannins.
Tannins play an important role in red wine making.
White wines contain little tannins because the grape juice is femented after the skin and seeds have been removed.
Acid plays the most important role in white wines.
Red wine and fat creates a “win-win” situation:
The tannins in wine melt the fat in the meat and releases the meat flavors.
The fat in the meat softens the tannins in wine and releases the wine flavors.
The more textured the food (fatty like duck or chewy like steak) the more tannin is needed in the wine.
Tannins are attracted by fatty proteins:
- Your saliva is full of protein. This is why your gums dryes when drinking tannic wines.
- Lamb is a good example of a food which coats your mouth with fat.
- The tannins in red wine attach themselves to the protein and strip them from your mouth, leaving it feeling cleansed and ready for a next mouthful.
Low Tannin Wines
Is Malbec a wine?
Malbec is a noun used for a black grape originally grown in the Bordeaux region of France and now in Argentina and Chile. Malbec is a red wine from Argentina, known for plump, dark fruit flavors and smoky finish. It is a full-bodied wine, and one of the top 18 noble grapes.
Why is Malbec a good red wine?
Malbec is an attractive red wine because, although dry, it contains around 1.5g of residual sugar, making it sweeter than Merlot and Pinot Noir (which have less than 0.5g). However, the sweetness is offset by a round tannin profile, giving it a balanced profile.
What is the acidity of a Malbec wine?
Tech Notes: Acidity (sourness) is usually between 5–7 g/L and pH ranges from 3.65–3.75 in the top-rated wines we found tech sheets on. Also, residual sugar is little to none (less than 1 g/L). Region Specific: The Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo in Mendoza consistently produce top-rated Malbec wines.
How do you know if a Malbec wine is ripe?
Malbec grapes get very ripe and usually fall between medium-plus and high alcohol. Tannin contributes to the dryness of a wine. It comes from the skin of the grapes during the winemaking process. You can tell a wine has high tannin if it dries out your tongue. It imparts almost a bitter flavor.