Why wine tastes bitter: perception, not fault

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The standard

The delimited bitterness separates the taste from astringency, with which it is most often confused: one the tongue tastes, the other the palate feels.

Criteria

Bitterness is a taste, astringency a tactile feel
Its source is phenols, not acidity or residual sugar
In measure it is structure, in excess a fault
Its threshold differs from person to person

Distinction

Bitterness ≠ astringency: one is tasted, the other felt as dryness. The delimited bitterness assigns the stimulus to the sense of taste, not to touch.