Tannins - Know when and why to add them.

I've seen an increase in tannin usage, but I've haven't seen anyone making any indication that they were using any specific type of tannin, The majority of the posts that I've seen were adding a large amount of tannin pre-fermentation.

The purpose of adding tannins is to increase the sensory profile of the wine, stabilize the color and add structure and mouthfeel.

Tannins are listed in 3 different categories and perform very differently depending on which type of tannin you add, and at which stage of the wine making process you add them.

I put together an article to further explain tannins, the three categories, and what we can expect from them.

You can read it here:

Tannins

or below:

The purpose of addingtannins is to increase the sensory profile of the wine, stabilize the color andadd structure and mouthfeel.
Specific types of tannins are meant to be added at specific times in the wine making process, these tannins perform differently, adding different characteristics and helping to protect and smooth out the wine.

Tannins are divided into 3 categories:

Sacrificial tannins, Cellaring tannins, and Finishing Tannins:


Sacrificial tannins-They are not meant to add tannin but more to preserve the natural tannin of the grapes.
These are added to the must early in the wine making process they have a Sacrificial effect, they do not to add anything to the wine, but rather to give themselves up as 'sacrificial tannins'.
These tannins combine with proteins and other grape components and precipitate out into the lees. Because these particular tannins are available for those reactions, the natural grape tannins are preserved and are able to combine with water soluble pigments to create optimally stable color.

Cellaring tannins- These tannins are added after the first or second racking (after fermentation), they play an important role in the development of wine throughout the aging period in the cellar. They can help protect against oxidation during the storage period, as well as adding subtle differences of flavor and mouthfeel to wines.

Finishing Tannins- These Tannins are usually added anywhere between 3 weeks before bottling up to the day before bottling. They are obviously used later in wine aging to impart character that may be lacking from the grapes or barrel.Finishing tannins derived from quality French oak can impart real nice notes of coconut and vanilla, some even impart a perception of sweetness, to a finished wine (Tannin Riche - My favorite).

I hardly ever add Sacrificial Tannins, I prefer to add Finishing and Cellaring tannins, for the flavors and mouth feel that they can impart, but also their antioxidant properties. I've added Finishing tannins such as Tannin Riche, it adds the perception of sweetness (slightly, but enough to balance out some acidity),with a very pleasant, light oak and astringency, Cellaring and Finishing tannins can smooth a wines finish.

Before adding tannins to your must or wine, figure out what you want to accomplish with your tannin addition, make sure that the type of tannin you have is suitable for the job.

Tannins are another great tool in our wine making toolbox to help us make better wine, but like any addition, we need to understand what we are adding, and why we are adding it instead of adding it blindly.

Tom

excellent post tom...thanks
i have some Tannin Riche..i have not used it yet...i plan to now on my next port.....
again thanks for the post.

Tom
Lots of good info..........Thanks

This is a great wealth of information, thanks for sharing Tom.

Bookmarked!! Thank you.

Thanks Tom, this is motivating me to start researching the different types of tannins and what they all do in more depth. I've always been a bit confused as to grape vs oak tannins, and if the LHBS sells just a package of 'Tannin' what type is it?!

Good stuff Tom. Thanks. I've been adding some Tancor Grand Cru to a lot of my red kits a month or so before bottling and it has really stepped up my game. I may have to give Tannin Riche a try.

Thanks for the kind words, the more we understand about what we are adding, the better we can all become.
Rayway, I would stay away from the non descriptive tannins, they could be made from nut shells as well.
Tannin Complex and Tannin refresh are examples of Cellaring tannins, and tannin Riche and Tannin Extra Riche are examples of a finishing tannins, I would purchase online before I bought a generic tannin.
The beauty of it is that you can add a cellaring and finishing tannin (start with light doses) such Tannin Complex, Tannin Estate, FT Blanc, and Tancor Grand Cru.
Tannins are such a great addition if added at the right time!

I made this a sticky, so it will now be more easily accessible.

Very informative and easy to understand and follow. Thank you...

Can tannins also be helpful in wine kits or not so very much?

Very useful info, Tom. Thank you very much. The more we understand...

I still have a great deal to learn about wine making!

SoCalGuy said:

Can tannins also be helpful in wine kits or not so very much?

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Yes they can, but you need to be careful. Kits are balanced so adding oak and tannin can overpower a kit wine.

Some of the tannins are dirt cheap, while others are really high buck. So far I've only experimented with Tancor Grand Cru and I like the result (but I have to admit that I didn't any control batches to identify the difference it makes). My suggestion is to make a kit as-is at least once, then tweak it up a bit gradually.

Nice to see another one of us taking a stab at teaching something with a little more detail than the average

I'll have to read through your article, and dig through my notes to see what I can add.. I have about as much information on tannins as I do on Yeast Nutrients

Yes, tannins can be used on kits, I feel that "sacrificial Tannins" the addition of tannins early in the process in kit wine making is wasted, however, cellaring and finishing tannins can be a great benefit to Kits.

Manley, Perfect! Like I've stated before, I am a data junkie, I research fanatic, when I don't understand something, it drives me nuts...lol
The more we all know, the better we will be, when we are able to make educated decisions and understand which choices will benefit us and our particular batch of wine, we will see premium wine being made on a consistent basis!

I'm doing my secondary fermentation now on a Pinot noir kit from cellar craft. I really want to try and get a fruit fwd, jammy,velvet texture finish with this wine. Going to bulk age it for about four months. Then I will go to bottle. If a tannin will help with this I definitely want to try it.

SoCalGuy said:

...,velvet texture finish ...

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That's where the tannins will help you...

Do you know of a good link that will explain what kind of tannins are used to do certain jobs?

This was a great post Tom, Thanks

SoCalGuy:
Here are a few links, each manufacturer will have their version of Sacrificial/Fermentation Tannins, Cellaring Tannins and Finishing Tannins, the most important part in my opinion is to stay away from generic tannins that are listed as "wine tannins" or "tannic acid" these are usually added at the beginning of the wine making process, best suited for fresh grapes and juice buckets.
Something to keep in mind as well, Some wine makers add smaller doses of cellaring and finishing tannins to get different layers of complexity in their wine, much like some commercial wineries will rotate their wine through 2 types of barrels, Medium toast American for instance followed by rotating it into a French oak barrel.

Scott Labs Overview and list: Click here, this will bring you to the overview, click on the list on the right side of the page to access the three categories; click on the individual types of tannins to read what they can do for your wine.

Laffort Tannins: Click Here

These two lists contain the most widely used tannins on the market.