Usually used to refer to red wines that are smooth or gentle on the palate. Ranks with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir as one of the world's great red wine grapes. Most prominent in France's Rhone Valley with such legendary wines as Cote-Rotie and Hermitage. Also very successful in Australia, where it is known as Shiraz, and increasingly in other parts of the world as well. The substance in wine that imparts astringency.
Tannins occur naturally in grapes and sometimes in the wood in which wine is stored.
Many red and white wines are aged, fermented, or both in small oak barrels. For the first year or two of use the charred surface will have a flavor impact on the wine. An ancient white wine variety best known in the wines of San Gimignano of Tuscany. Usually quite crisp and dry with moderate intensity. One of the world's most exotic white wine varieties with its perfumed nose of honey, stone fruits and tropical flowers.