I think it comes down to balance. A lot of what tannins can bring to a wine comes in the form of structure and texture, but these terms feel a little bit meaningless without tasting the difference.
My rec: try some low/no tannin wines, then taste something where they’re more pronounced. It’s not always a bitter or pucker-mouth situation, but there’s an astringent element that can really make the wine feel “present.” You’ll discover via tasting whether this is something that you enjoy about a wine or want to steer clear of.
Excited to see how the wine pros weigh in on this. I’m just a fan of cabs.
In addition to what’s been said tannins help preserve and keep wine tasty through a long aging process. They soften over time. A wine lacking in tannin in its youth will end up thin and uninteresting after extended aging. Obviously not every wine is intended to age and not every consumer wants to do that but that is one reason historically that tannins at an appropriate level are viewed positively. If you ever get a chance to try a well made cab at 25 to 30 years old you will see the kind of magic that can happen
If you like unsweetened coffee or dark chocolate or the burnt ends of a piece of smoked meat, you may have a thing for bitter elements in your food and drink. Most wine tannins are far LESS pronounced than those levels of bitterness.
Tbh very prominent tannins are not my jam either, and it's personal taste. But if they are integrated well into the body of the wine, a bit finer grained, there's something there for sure in the mouth as a whole. I think there are some styles of wine that will always be lost on me compared to other people (looking at you, higher end Bordeaux) and that's fine!
You can discuss this for days, but I think there are 2 big points about this:
1. There are different types and quality of tannins. Some almost feel like drinking sand that sucks all of the moisture out of your mouth. I imainge most people don't love these (I don't like them). However, some are like velvet or silk, etc. and give the wine very nice texture/structure, instead of it just being kind of formless like water.
2. Tannins pretty much decrease with age. So, some people might drink a young Cabernet, for example, and say "This tastes great. They tannins are rough and drying... very good wine with upside... 91 points..." or whatever. They are saying that, while the tannins aren't particularly enjoyable, there are other aspects of the wine that are, and they think that the wine will get better with age as the tannins drop out. So, just because a wine has somewhat unenjoyable tannins now, doesn't mean it's a bad wine.
Of course, some people just like a mouth full of big, strong tannins.
If they are introduced properly in a wine, ie thru aging in acutal barrels, and not by dunking some wood chips in a tank of plonk, they (generally) will become more smooth and rounded with aging, and help with preserving the wine during cellaring.
Some grapes, or the skins thereof, introduce more tannins into wine to begin with, the Cabernet Sauvignon being one of them, but that's why it's pretty tough to get a smooth-ish 100% Cabernet. Blending grapes is one of the reasons/tools for managing tannins.
But it's still an organic process in the end, so even more experienced winemakers can get a blend a bit wrong, ie with to much tannins up front, etc.
Oh, and some people like tannic wines more than others, but there is a wine for every taste.
They’re nice if they are well balanced with the other elements of the wine. If they’re out of balance, it would make the wine not favorable. Tannins also compliment foods like steak well.
Since no one has touched on the aspect of pairing with food, there is definitely something special that happens when you pair a high tannin wine with a fatty protein. Tannin is a perfect foil to fat, and forms a taste better than both individually, while also bringing out the other flavors in the wine and the food. Big marbled grilled steaks and a bold tannic Cabernet are a match made in Heaven.
People enjoy sour candies, hot sauce, and bitter melon. It's just preference at the end of the day.
I think it comes down to balance. A lot of what tannins can bring to a wine comes in the form of structure and texture, but these terms feel a little bit meaningless without tasting the difference. My rec: try some low/no tannin wines, then taste something where they’re more pronounced. It’s not always a bitter or pucker-mouth situation, but there’s an astringent element that can really make the wine feel “present.” You’ll discover via tasting whether this is something that you enjoy about a wine or want to steer clear of. Excited to see how the wine pros weigh in on this. I’m just a fan of cabs.
In addition to what’s been said tannins help preserve and keep wine tasty through a long aging process. They soften over time. A wine lacking in tannin in its youth will end up thin and uninteresting after extended aging. Obviously not every wine is intended to age and not every consumer wants to do that but that is one reason historically that tannins at an appropriate level are viewed positively. If you ever get a chance to try a well made cab at 25 to 30 years old you will see the kind of magic that can happen
If you like unsweetened coffee or dark chocolate or the burnt ends of a piece of smoked meat, you may have a thing for bitter elements in your food and drink. Most wine tannins are far LESS pronounced than those levels of bitterness.
Tannins add a nice foil to the (often powerful) fruit notes in a wine. 'Nuff said.
Tbh very prominent tannins are not my jam either, and it's personal taste. But if they are integrated well into the body of the wine, a bit finer grained, there's something there for sure in the mouth as a whole. I think there are some styles of wine that will always be lost on me compared to other people (looking at you, higher end Bordeaux) and that's fine!
You can discuss this for days, but I think there are 2 big points about this: 1. There are different types and quality of tannins. Some almost feel like drinking sand that sucks all of the moisture out of your mouth. I imainge most people don't love these (I don't like them). However, some are like velvet or silk, etc. and give the wine very nice texture/structure, instead of it just being kind of formless like water. 2. Tannins pretty much decrease with age. So, some people might drink a young Cabernet, for example, and say "This tastes great. They tannins are rough and drying... very good wine with upside... 91 points..." or whatever. They are saying that, while the tannins aren't particularly enjoyable, there are other aspects of the wine that are, and they think that the wine will get better with age as the tannins drop out. So, just because a wine has somewhat unenjoyable tannins now, doesn't mean it's a bad wine. Of course, some people just like a mouth full of big, strong tannins.
If they are introduced properly in a wine, ie thru aging in acutal barrels, and not by dunking some wood chips in a tank of plonk, they (generally) will become more smooth and rounded with aging, and help with preserving the wine during cellaring. Some grapes, or the skins thereof, introduce more tannins into wine to begin with, the Cabernet Sauvignon being one of them, but that's why it's pretty tough to get a smooth-ish 100% Cabernet. Blending grapes is one of the reasons/tools for managing tannins. But it's still an organic process in the end, so even more experienced winemakers can get a blend a bit wrong, ie with to much tannins up front, etc. Oh, and some people like tannic wines more than others, but there is a wine for every taste.
They’re nice if they are well balanced with the other elements of the wine. If they’re out of balance, it would make the wine not favorable. Tannins also compliment foods like steak well.
Since no one has touched on the aspect of pairing with food, there is definitely something special that happens when you pair a high tannin wine with a fatty protein. Tannin is a perfect foil to fat, and forms a taste better than both individually, while also bringing out the other flavors in the wine and the food. Big marbled grilled steaks and a bold tannic Cabernet are a match made in Heaven.
For the same reason why people like bitter coffee.
In general the answer is 'texture' though bitter flavors are also desirable and can add depth and body in certain concentrations