Tannins! Bitter and astringent group of compounds found in the polyphenol family. These mouth curling polyphenols are the reason red wine has that mouth coating feel and often seems like a big, red, punch in the back of your mouth (in a good way).

Tannins are found in many things! Fruit, tree bark, seeds, legumes, hops and of course (because fruit) grapes! Wines get what we like to call, sexy integrated tannin from the skin, seeds and to a lessor degree, the stems.Tannins can be polarising and often why some people don’t like red wines at all. If you don’t like black tea, coffee or a beauty IPA with high IBUs, you probably don’t like strong tannin.

Ever wondered why you love Shiraz but aren’t a huge fan of light reds? Tannins! That’s why. Shiraz fruit is juicy and dark, with peppery notes and especially if they are pressed and left of skins for a while, they are super rich in tannin.