What's the name for......

[hhhanson]

Some wines (I mostly drink reds) have a "burning", or "acid like" component as it heads down the back of the throat. It's often more pronounced drinking the remains of a bottle I opend the day before. It's not tannin is it? I'm also having a hard time identifying in my mouth what the tannic qualities are. I guess that's two questions.
Thanks!

[winoweenie]

Back in Okla. we called that "ALCOHOL", as in White Lightning. WW

[Innkeeper]

Try to keep the alcohol level in your wine below 13.5%. That may seem high, but many California reds are exceeding that these days.

[Thomas]

tannin is the stuff that makes your tongue feel like it has no saliva on it; tannin also is bitter.

[winoweenie]

Foodie-poo don' bemember tannin having a " burning sensation or acid-like " characteristics. WW

[Thomas]

ww, I didn't say it does--although it isn't called tannic acid for nothing.

I said it dries the tongue and tastes bitter. Shall I send you my old reading glassess???

[MuddyOne]

Because you described it burning in the throat, I would have to agree that it is alcohol.

I notice tanins from the astringent quality. The pucker, the drying of the gums.

Wines have acid as well. This has a bitter taste. A low alcohol dry white wine is a good example of some characteristics that acid add. A brut Champagne would be another example.

[Innkeeper]

Acidity is not bitter. It can best be described as the sharpness in wine. Excessive acidity sometimes found in white wines gives a feeling of astringency such as tannin does in some red wine. Bitterness is tasted at the rear (base) of the tongue. Acidity is perceived on the upper sides of the tongue.

[wondersofwine]

I'm remembering back to the taste test put on by a Robert Mondavi representative. We tasted water doctored with too much acid, too much tannin, too much wood flavoring, and too much sugar to see the results. The slightly too acidic tasted a lot like having an aspirin disssolve in your mouth, and still more acid tasted like sucking a lemon. The tannin had no odor but tasted bitter. The too much wood flavor was like chewing on a toothpick. And the too much sugar had a lingering effect that distorted the next wine tasted. Hope this helps.

[Thomas]

You just described one of my seminars at is-wine.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 09-24-2002).]