Tannins in Wine

What does it mean if a wine is dry?

Few terms are more misunderstood in wine than dryness.

In wine jargon, the word dry refers to a wine with very little or no sugar at all. The opposite of this would be sweet.

However, dryness is often confused with tannins, which are found in red wines. This is because tannins have the effect of drying out the mouth. There are some tannins found in white wines, but they are lower in concentration and are not nearly as noticeable, if at all.

Tannins are naturally occurring compounds, scientifically called polyphenols. They are responsible for the bitterness in red wines and are found in the grapes and in the wood barrels that some wines are aged in.

You can also find tannins in strong black tea, pear skins, walnuts and dark chocolate. Try for yourself to help you understand the sensations that tannins confer.

In grapes, tannins come from the skin, seeds and stocks.

During the primary alcoholic fermentation the longer the skins soak, or macerate in the juice, the more tannins will be found in the wine.

Different varieties of grapes also have different levels of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Nebbiolo for example naturally have a great deal more tannins than Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir or Barbera.

The tannins found in grapes and how best to manage them are often a winemaker’s primary concern when crafting a wine.

Tannins are the most important thing when talking about the texture of a wine, or how it feels in the mouth. Adjectives used to describe tannins include: grippy, dusty, powdery, and my favourite, velvety. It may sound far fetched, but with enough practice you will be able to tell the difference, not just in the level of tannins in the wine, but how they actually feel.

The climate where the grapes are grown plays a role in how tannins feel. The warmer the climate, the softer the tannins. The cooler climate, typically speaking, the harder they will feel.

Tannins are very important for ageability in red wines. In white wines, the natural acid and sugar help them age which is typically why red wines are generally more age worthy than whites.

People often ask for a dry red wine when what in fact they desire is a wine that has some perceivable tannins.

There is a saying that people talk dry but really want sweet. An example of this is one of the top selling red wines in the LCBO, Apothic Red. It has 15 grams of sugar per litre! Technically that puts it firmly in the off-dry category, yet there are some who consider this a dry red wine.

Without getting too much into the scientific weeds, for the average consumer, knowing the difference between a tannic wine and a dry wine is what is important.