Tannin quality from the vineyard

The standard

A vineyard-side tannin ripeness judges fineness and degree of ripeness at the berry, not on the finished wine. Decisive are seed browning, skin softening and the lignification of the stems.

Criteria

• The assessment takes place at the berry, not on the analytical value alone
• Sugar ripeness and phenolic ripeness are judged separately
• Site, water balance and yield are named alongside
• The harvest date follows the state of the tannins, not the calendar

Distinction

Tannin quantity ≠ tannin quality: the degree of extraction says nothing about fineness. A vineyard-side tannin ripeness ≠ cellar technique: maceration time distributes what has grown but adds nothing to it.