Astringency is a property that some bad wines or some expired wines can have. Generally speaking, astringency can apply to many foods. So it is not reserved for wines alone. That said, the term “astringent” is mostly used in wine to describe tannins that are far too present.
What is astringency?
Astringency is a term used to describe the tannins in wine. It refers to an extremely strong and unbalanced presence of tannins. Generally speaking, astringency is a property that can be attributed to all substances that tighten tissues. These are sometimes used to aid healing.
Astringency in wine
In wine, astringency comes from an excessive presence of tannins. As the tannins of white wine are completely absent, it is difficult to use this term for that type of wine. The tannins in wine come from the skins of the grapes and the seeds. If you do not know why red wine has tannins and white wine does not, you can read or listen to this episode of the Club on how to make wine.
How to recognise an astringent wine
To recognise an astringent wine, you have to pay attention to the feel of the wine on your tongue and in the mouth in general. This wine fault causes a tightening and a drying of the mucous membranes. So, if you taste such a wine, you will notice a drying of your tongue and you will quickly feel bitterness on your palate. In other words, you will feel as if you have a rough tongue. We also say that the taste buds tighten. If you identify this fault, do not hesitate to point it out so you can change glass or bottle. Naturally, the presence of tannins is far from being a fault: astringency means a far too unbalanced presence of them. It is also worth pointing out that astringency can also come from a food and wine pairing. Some cheeses and red wines do not necessarily make a good match. They can thus put the wine’s tannins too much to the fore.
Avoiding astringency in wine
If you notice that your wine is astringent or that the presence of tannins is too high, you can resort to several techniques. These could save your tasting. So here are a few things to fight a wine’s astringency:
- Wait for the wine to warm up a little: a slightly higher serving temperature can help soften the tannins;
- Aerate the wine: by giving the wine a little more space and oxygen, you should let it evolve and so calm its astringency;
- Wait before tasting the other bottles: astringency can mean that your wine is still too young. You will therefore have to let the other bottles wait in your wine cellar before you can really enjoy them in a few years.
What foods are astringent?
Astringency can also describe certain foods. So here are some examples of astringent foods:
- Lemon;
- Unripe banana;
- Persimmon;
- Lentils;
- Tea;
- Raspberries.
The persimmon is often described as a very astringent fruit. There are several methods to make persimmon less astringent. The first solution is to let it ripen properly for a long time, preferably in the sun. You can also place it in the freezer: it is an effective technique.
And there you have it, you are now experts and have astringency down pat. That said, you can learn a lot more about wine. For that, you need to join the Club, and you will be able to learn wine simply and for free. The Club is wine courses and incredible value. You will never again have any doubts when it comes to choosing a bottle of wine.
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