What are tannins in wine?
Tannins are compounds in wine that dry out your mouth; in fact, many people get the terms “dry” and “tannic” confused for that reason. Dry simply means a lack of sweetness. Tannic means a noticeable level of tannins. They are detectable because they bind with the proteins in your mouth leaving a dry, puckering sensation. These compounds are present in the skins and seeds of grapes. Red wines have more tannins than whites since red grapes are fermented in contact with the skins and seeds. Winemakers who want to get more tannins in their red wines, will leave the wine on the skins and seeds for a long period of time during fermentation. Winemakers who want less tannins may use fining agents to remove tannins from a wine. Tannins are also present in oak, so wines that are aged in oak barrels tend to be more tannic due to the tannins extracted from the barrel.
