Now take a taste of a young Cabernet Sauvignon, and chances are you'll feel a similar sensation. Tannins in wine come primarily from the grape, although aging wine in oak barrels can also impart a dose of the puckery stuff. Tannins also act as antioxidants, naturally preserving the wine during its maturing years. Not all tannic wines evolve into stylish maturity, however. If a wine is merely tannic without fruit in its youth, it isn't likely to become a thing of beauty with age.
Balance is the key.
And serving a youthfully tannic wine with rare red meat will also go a long way to ameliorate that rough tannic astringency. Please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to comment on our topics and tasting notes, suggest a topic for a future bulletin, or just talk about wine. Dark ruby, with a full, minty blackcurrant scent, characteristic California Cabernet Sauvignon. Excellent value, and as is typical of Martini's Cabernets, far more ageworthy than its modest price suggests. Somewhat to the amazement of our European cousins, BYO is difficult or illegal in many states of the U.S. and provinces in Canada.