 |
Tannins
Tannins (mostly in red wines) have got a drying effect in the mouth. You can get exactly the same feeling with a cup of strong tea (let the teabag brew for 10 minutes and try drinking it). Reason is tannins react with proteins in your saliva and produce a compound which will stick to your teeth. Result is you have less saliva after drinking this glass of red and so your mouth is drier. Tannins are molecules coming from the skins pips and even stems of grapes. There can also be added tannins from the oak barrels in which some wine will age. They are found mostly in red wines and are one of the 3 essential elements taking part in the structure of all red wines. See also Polyphenols.
Terroir
Terroir, a French word, refers to the place where a wine is made. It combines the specific soil, specific climate and micro-climate for a specific vineyard where the fruits and then wine is produced, sun exposition, and obviously grape varieties used locally. But it also includes the specific winemaking techniques used in this area only. For instance, the typical winemaking techniques applied in the Bordeaux area called "vinification medocaine" (red wines from the Left Bank in particular) include grape sorting, long maceration of 2 to 3 weeks, and maturation in new French oak Barrels for 15 to 24 months on average, with fining with egg whites before bottling. This combined with the climate and grape varieties used are, amongst other things, what makes a Bordeaux wine what it is and what the Bordeaux terroir should be on the left bank. The resulting wine will reflect the warm climate (maritime), the soils of graves (pebbles) providing good ripening, the tannic Cabernet Sauvignon used in majority in these wines, and long maturation in oak barrels. If you separate one thing from the whole, this will create something different and therefore a different wine than a Medoc red wine so a different terroir. Terroirs can be found and applied anywhere in the world as long as the equation "place+winemaking" produces a unique kind of wine. The concept of terroir is opposed to international styles looking to replicate the same kind of wine all around the world and a unique taste. Terroir means uniqueness, diversity and choice for the consumer against a unique and only taste.
|
