Green Tea - Tannin Gives Bite & Color

Do you often wonder why you get that furry feeling or dry mouth after drinking red wines? Well, it’s because of a powerful little thing called tannins. Tannins are an astringent component (plant polyphenol) found in stems and seeds of grapes, amongst other things. Tannins occur naturally in roots, wood, bark, leaves and fruit. It is even found in tea. It’s astringent properties has been used over the years to treat tonsillitis, pharyngitis, hemorrhoids and skin eruptions. 

Tannins are what allow long aging of red wines as well as clarification of beer. As wine ages, tannins also prevent oxidation. However, because most novice wine drinkers can’t handle high tannins, most winemakers try to minimize the undesirable tannins by gently extracting juices from the grape. Their main focus is to decrease the amount of grapes seeds crushed in their wine making process. Even when this done wines can still have a higher amount of tannins because wine aged in wood casts or oak tend to have a higher amount of tannins.

In some areas of France tannic grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon are often mixed with lower tannic grapes (i.e. Cabernet Franc or Merlot) to produce a softer wine. Young red wines often have a high tannic content. As the wine ages the tannins began to decompose and the wine mellows and improves in taste. 

Tannins - Higher in Reds than Whites

Tannins have some good health benefits though. They have also been proven to have a positive vascular effect. Studies have shown that tannins suppress the peptides responsible for hardening of arteries. Tannins can, however, wreak havoc on ones ability to absorb minerals such as iron, causing anemia. So you must be careful to ensure that this is not happening. Signs of anemia include but aren’t limited to, fatigue, weakness, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and headaches. If you are experiencing these symptoms please contact your health care provider. 

Tannins aren’t just found in wines. Below are some other categories of foods in which they can be found:

Beer

Fruit Juices (apple, berry, grape, etc.)

Condiments (vanilla, tarragon, cloves and cinnamon, etc. )

Nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc. )

Fruits (persimmons, cranberries, pomegranates, blackberries, etc.)

Legumes (red beans)

Chocolate

Finally, one of the things that I have found that truly helped me deal with wines that would be otherwise very tannic is my Vinturi aerator. Please see previous post. This little device has mellowed out many a wine for me. 

Until the next time…drink responsibly. Cheers!