Describes a drying, almost puckering sensation on the palate, as a result of grape skin or wood tannins in the wine. This is normal and can be quite enjoyable when in balance.

derived from, or resembling, tan or tannin

Having an astringent taste.

Coming from grape seeds, skins, and also from oak, tannins are (along with acid) what give red wines backbone. If you steep tea for too long and your tongue goes all dry and fuzzy when you sip it, that is the work of tannins. Or try licking a banana peel. Or taste a wine from the Madiran region of France made from the tannat grape (whence the word 'tannin' is derived; or maybe it was tana leaves, from the old 'Mummy' movies, we can't remember...). Tannins, given time, generally calm down and 'resolve', precipitating into sediment, which is one of the points of aging wines. Another is the flush of geek pride that comes from being able to say 'Look at all my damn OLD wines! In MY day, if you paid more than forty cents for a bottle of Latour, you was a damn fool...' and so on.

refers to a a presence in the palate of tannin. Tannin is a naturally occuring preservative of colour in red wines. The presence of tannin dries the roof of the mouth, grips the teeth and sometimes gives a "musty cellar" smell sensation. It will break down in the wine over time. French reds tend to be highly tannic, as evidenced by the practice of maceration to extract maximum colour. Clever marketing has many people believing that these red wines must age to become 'better', when many other reds can be consumed at a younger age with no need for extensive bottle aging.

A natural component of grape skins, seeds and stems with harsh and potentially bitter elements, that do however do soften with the ageing process and are essential for long-term development in reds. They will eventually drop out of solution to form part of wines sedim. A wine with a mouth puckering and dry feel is called a tannic wine.

aggressive tannins. All ageing wines are expected to have some tannins, but these should ideally be counterbalanced by Fruit.

Used to describe coffees with too much tannic acid, resulting in puckering and a stinging sensation on the tongue.

The tannins of a wine, which are extracted from the grape skins and stems, are, along with a wine's acidity and alcohol, its lifeline. Tannins give a wine firmness and some roughness when young, but gradually fall away and dissipate. A tannic wine is one that is young and unready to drink.

rich in tannins

deriving from an assortment of organic compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems. Affects mouth feel and texture of wine leaving a dry, chalky sensation, perhaps the taste of leather or tea, and sometimes bitterness.

The mouth-puckering taste of young red wines particularly from Bordeaux. Too much tannin makes the wine hard and unyielding but also preserves it longer. Aging in the bottle diminishes the tannin and softens the wine.

Has high levels of tannic acid, tart and unpleasant. Tannic acid is a chemical with high concentrations in red wine grape skins and seeds, and stems. Tannins mellow with age. If a wine is tannic, it is usually a red wine.

A word used to describe wine in which tannins overpower the fruit and other elements. A tannic wine is not well balanced.