Compounds found within the grapes which allow a wine to mature and grow with time, and provide many of its distinctive flavours.
Tannins are also anti-oxidants.
Used to describe a wine with rich colour, giving a sensation of thickness and weight on the palate.
Describes the results of excessive astringency and acidity, with a concurrent lack of smoothness and alcoholic strength. Such imbalances may even out over time, as the tannins mellow with age.