What Does Tannic Mean?

Probably the most confusing description of red wine is the word tannic. Many people throw this word around to describe what they are tasting. But in actuality, many of us have no clue what tannic means.

A tannin is part of the skin, stem, and seeds of grapes. To get red wine, the skins of the grape are soaked with the juice to get their beautiful color. But with that, the juice also gets the tannins from the skin. Many people think that if a wine is tannic,  they are describing a certain flavor or even acidity. However, tannic is the texture you feel in red wine. Does your mouth sometimes get dry after drinking a few sips of red wine? Or does it feel a little bitter? Well, that means that your wine is very tannic.

Not all red wines will have high amounts of tannin, and the perfect wine will have a nice balance of that dryness to it. A good way to get a good balance of tannins is to let your new bottles of wine sit for at least six months. As the wine ages, the amount of tannins will soften, and the wine will be more pleasant to drink.