Easy Way to Understand Tannins in White Vs. Red Wines

"Tannins are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids." - Wikipedia

Tannin is a popular word in the wine industry and it may be a bit hard to understand at first. Red wines are generally higher in tannins than white and that's part of the reason the majority of red wines are dry instead of sweet.

Here is an easier explanation:

Have you ever peeled the skin off a grape? It has a flavor that strips the moisture from your mouth (it's dry). The reason for this is the tannins that are in the skin. Since red wines are produced with more contact with the grape skins, they absorb more of that dryness. Due to this extended time of contact with the skins, the wine is also transformed from clear to red in color.

Working as a natural antioxidant which protects the wine, tannins are a direct reason for certain red wines to be so age worthy (like Cabernet Sauvignon). They also have many health benefits!

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Warm Red Wines for Winter

January seemed to last forever this year and now that we're finally into February it seems there may be an end to winter in sight! Spring is right around the corner but we still have a few weeks of winter left. With the days still pretty short and most activities being indoors, it's still the perfect weather for wine. Warm red wines are great for fighting off the chill and the end-of-winter blues.

Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the most popular red wine grape varieties is Cabernet Sauvignon. Having strong fruit flavors of plum and black cherry when young, this wine gives off the distinct aroma of blackcurrants. As it ages, it can give off aromas of tobacco and cedar. Lamb, and other fatty red meats, pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Malbec

Recently, Malbec has been rapidly growing in popularity. Similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec has flavors of plum and black cherry. It also consists of blackberry and can even have chocolate flavors. Because of it's softer tannins, it pairs well with lean meats.

Syrah

Giving hearty, spicy red wines, the Syrah grape variety is a perfect choice for those chilly winter nights. Along with the previous mentioned wines, it has flavors of wild black fruits such as blackcurrants. These fruit flavors can be accompanied with roasting meat and black pepper spice flavors. Wild game and stews are wonderful pairings to go with Syrah.

Now that winter is in full swing and we're (hopefully) headed to an early spring, try to push through these last days of winter with these delightful, warm, red wine varieties.

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How To Remove Red Wine Stains

One of the most popular drink choices for the Holiday Season is red wine, and it's no mystery why. Red wine is delicious! However, the more you drink, the more likely you are to have a little accident and spill some red wine on yourself, the couch, or the carpet. Many people think it's impossible to get out red wine stains, but it's not. The faster you can treat the stain the better chance you have of getting the stain out, but you can still remove it once it's dry. Here are some tips on how to remove red wine stains.

Wet Stains:

• Cover the stain with a thick layer of salt within 2 minutes of the spill

• Pour club soda on top of the salt and the stain

• After an hour of the stain sitting, remove the salt and blot with a paper towel

Dry Stains:

• Pour vodka over the stain

• Blot with a paper towel

• Repeat until the stain fades

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At Home Palate Training Exercise

Your sense of taste is extremely important when tasting wine so here is an at home palate training exercise which will help you identify how you sense the tannin, acidity, sweetness, and alcohol in red wines.

What You'll Need:

• 1 bottle of dry red wine (avoid reds like Menage à Trois, Apothic Red and Jam Jar which contain Residual Sugar)

• 1 black tea bag

• 1/2 a lemon

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp vodka

• 4 identical wine glasses + one wineglass per person at the tasting

• a notepad and pen

Prepare the tasting:

Pour 3 oz of red wine in each of the 4 wine glasses. Add the tea bag to one glass, the 1/2 squeeze of lemon to the next glass, the sugar to the next glass, and the vodka to the last glass. Fill your own glass with red wine; it will act as your control glass.

Tannin - Black Tea Bag

In about 10 minutes, the black tea should dissolve at which point you can remove the bag. Taste the control wine first, then the black tea wine (without smelling it) and jot down what your taste and how it felt on your tongue. Tannin is usually bitter but you may also feel a drying sensation.

Acidity - Lemon

Taste your control wine, then taste the lemon win (without smelling it). With increases acidity, you may notice the lemon wine tastes less bold, your mouth may water, and more of the natural bitter notes may be presented. Try to ignore the lemony flavors since this is not a feature of acids in wine.

Sweetness - Sugar

Stir the sugar into your wine. After tasting your control wine, taste your sugar wine (you can smell it first). You should notice the sugar doesn't make the wine taste sweeter. Instead it brings out the fruit flavors of the wine and may add an oily texture to the aftertaste.

Alcohol - Vodka

Taste your control wine, then taste the vodka wine (without smelling it). Note what sensations you feel on your tongue and in the back of your throat when you swallow. Tiny prickles may be felt which makes the wine feel thicker. You may feel a hot sensation in the aftertaste.

Since everyone has different tastes and preferences, this exercise is meant to help you identify which aspects of wine you personally pick up on.

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When and How to Let Wine Breathe

After being trapped in a bottle for years, wine needs a chance to breathe. This allows the wine to oxidize which can soften the flavors and release the aromas in the wine. Twenty-five to thirty minutes is usually all you need to accomplish this, but in the case of some tannic or younger red wines, you may need to let them breathe for a few hours.

Just opening the bottle and letting it stand is not the best way to let the wine breathe since it only exposes a little part of the wine to air. A great way to let your wine breathe is to pour it into a decanter. A decanter is a large bottomed glass bottle that exposes a larger portion of the wine to air. If you don't have a decanter, you can pour the wine into a large wine glass and swirl it for a few minutes.

However, not all wines are the same so they don't require the same time to breathe. Here are some tips to remember when aerating wine:

• Vintage red wines should only be aerated for 10-15 minutes to ensure their flavors don't get overpowered by over-oxidation.

• Young red wines should be allowed about an hour to breathe in order to soften the flavors.

• Most white wines don't have tannins so they don't need to be aerated.

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H. Montanile's A Winery Review - In The Cellar

In The Cellar

The following are a list of red wines that are moderately priced and a sure compliment to your Cellar.  These red wines retail for approximately $55.00 or less. We have generally selected only new releases that are easier to locate and purchase.  The wines listed In The Cellar have been rated 90 and above by some of the most popular wine critics (i.e. Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Stephen Tanzer, James Suckling, James Halliday, Vinous & Wine & Spirits).

(Wines denoted by *are priced over $55.00 however, they have been on our In The Cellar List for 18 years and will remain, vintages have been updated for your buying and tasting pleasure)

A.

Anderson Conn Valley Right Proprietary Red Napa 2008

Arrowood Cabernet 2004

B.

*Barnett Cabernet

BR Cohn Sonoma Valley Olive Hill Estate Vineyards Cabernet 2009

BV Rutherford 2013

BV Tapestry 2010, 2012

Benziger Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet 2006, 2007, 2010

*Berringer Alluvium 1994 (consistently rated over 90)

Berringer Knight’s Valley 2013

Buehler Napa Valley Estate Cabernet 2010, 2012, 2014

Burgess Cabernet, Napa Valley Vintage Selection 1999, 2012

C.

Chappellet Cabernet Napa Valley Signature 2014

Charles Krug Generations Cabernet 2013

Chateau Montelena Cabernet, Napa Valley 2013

*Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages 1999

*Chimney Rock Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012

Clos Pegase Cabernet, Napa Valley 2007

*Corison Cabernet, Napa Valley 1997, 2006, 2012,2013

*Cornerstone Cabernet - 1996 

D.

Dry Creek Cabernet, Dry Creek Valley 2010, 2012

*Dunn Napa Valley Cabernet 2012, 2013

Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet 2012

E.

Etude Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012

F.

Ferrari-Carano Cabernet, Alexander Valley Vineyards of Tre Monte 1997

Flora Springs Trilogy, Napa Valley 2007 (*2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Foppiano Vineyards Estate Bottle Petite Sirah Russian River 2012

Forman Cabernets - Any Vintage in your price range

Franciscan Estate Magnificat Meritage Napa Valley 2012

Frank Family Cabernet 2012, 2013

Freemark Abbey Cabernet, Napa Valley '97

Frog’s Leap Merlot 2013

G.

Girard Cabernet '97

Grigich Hills Merlot Napa 2012

Groth Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012/Reserve Cabernet 2012*

*Guenoc Cabernet, Napa Valley Beckstoffer IV Vineyard reserve '97

H.

Heitz Cellar Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012 (not rated)

*Heitz Cellar “Martha’s Vineyard” Napa Valley Cabernet 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010

Paul Hobbs ‘Crossbarn” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

*Paul Hobbs Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Honig Cabernet, Napa Valley 2013

I.

Iron Horse Cabernet, Alexander Valley T-T 1997, 2001, 2003

J.

Justin Cabernet, Paso Robles 2014 (not rated)

*Justin Isosceles reserve, Paso Robles 2008

L.

Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc ‘Two-Fourteen’ Napa Valley 2009

Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc ‘Right Bank’ Napa Valley 2007

Larkmead Cabernet, Napa Valley '97

M.

Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River 2013

Merryvale Cabernet Napa Valley 2010 (not rated)

*Merryvale “Profile” Napa Valley Bourdeaux Blend 1997, 2012

*Mondavi Reserve Cabernet, Napa Valley 2009

Mondavi Cabernet, Oakville 2013

*Mondavi Cabernet, Stags Leap District 2005, 2009

Mount Veeder Winery Napa Valley Cabernet 1994

Murphy-Goode Liar’s Dice Zinfandel 2012

N.

*Napanook (Dominus) Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2012, 2013

Ninety-Plus Cabernet Lot 94 Collector Series Rutherford 2014

P.

Robert Pecota Cabernet, Kara's Vineyard '97

*Rodney Strong Rockaway Single Vineyard Cabernet 2012

Peju Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012

*Peju Reserve Cabernet Franc (napa Valley) 2011

Joseph Phelps, Napa Valley Cabernet 2003, 2008, 2011 (*2002, *2010, *2013)

*Joseph Phelps Insignia 2011, 2013

Pine Ridge Estate Vineyards Cabernet 2010

*Pine Ridge Cabernet, Stags leap District 2010, 2012

*Pine Ridge Cabernet, Howell Mountain 2010, 2012

*Plumpjack Cabernet, Oakville 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001

Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet 2000

Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2003, 2004

Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah 2001, 2005

Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah, Sonoma County 2003, 2005

R.

A. Rafanelli Cabernet, Dry Creek Valley 2011, 2013

*Raymond Generations 2009, 2012

Raymond Reserve Select Napa Valley Cabernet 2013

*Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet 2013

*Robert Craig Mount Veeder Cabernet 2010

Rombauer Cabernet, Napa Valley 2013

S.

Saddleback Cabernet, Napa Valley 1997, 2009

St. Clement Cabernet Napa Valley 2010

St. Clement Oroppas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

*Schweiger Cabernet, Spring Mountain District 2005

*Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet 1994

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars “Artemis” Cabernet 2013

Stag’s Leap Napa Valley Cabernet 2013

Stonegate Cabernet, Napa Valley 1997

*Swanson Cabernet, Alex’s Oakville Napa Valley 1997, 2005

T.

Titus Cabernet, Napa Valley 2013

*Trinchero Signature Cabernet, Napa Valley 2008

*Trinchero Haystack Vineyard Cabernet “Atlas Peak Valley” 2010

V.

Viader Proprietary Red 1999, 2000

*Viader Proprietary Red 1995, 1998, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2004

Von Strasser Cabernet, Diamond Mountain District 2012

WhiteHall Lane Cabernet, Napa Valley 2012

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