Wine compounds—especially “polyphenols”—are a lot like stars. Your body knows what they are when you experience them, but you’d have a doozie of a time explaining exactly what they’re made of when asked. Just as heavenly bodies are composed of gasses, particles, and electromagnetic fields, wine is composed of dynamic, sometimes mysterious compounds that go into making a bottle great. Maybe it’s all the buzz surrounding the recent eclipse, or perhaps it’s those end of summer sunsets, but we’re thinking of wine as its own epicurean star-gazing adventure. After all, wine compounds interact with one another to create a dazzling display not in the sky, but in your mouth. Got your goggles on? Good. It’s time to dust off that old microscope and prepare to peer deep, deep into the galaxy that is your glass. What you find may surprise you!
Discovery #1 Tannins cannot be tasted
Where they come from: The grape skins, stems, and seeds
Findings: You never really “taste” tannins, although some might say they create a “bitter” pucker. Say what? This is weird to think about, but true.
Tannins are really more of a texture than a taste. Like a wave of umami or sour rushing over your senses, tannins are more about your body’s reaction to their presence than any one particular flavor. Sip a red wine with high tannin content, and you’ll know immediately. The moisture is sucked from your mouth, causing your salivary glands to kick into overdrive. Considering the fact that tannins have a particularly bodaciousway of bonding to the proteins in your mouth (and your medium rare steak), can you even imagine a nice glass of Bordeaux without that signature tongue-smacking satisfaction?
Science experiment: Sip astringent black tea or snack on raw walnuts (also high in tannins) and compare the mouthfeel to your fave full-bodied red.
Discovery #2 Anthocyanins open up a world of color
Where they come from: The hypodermal cells of the skin, except in red fleshed grape varieties, where they are also found in the pulp.
Findings: Sounds scary, but I promise this one’s easier to understand than pronounce. All you need to know is this: Anthocyanins are responsible for the main pigments in wine, and we can all agree a glass of merlot would not be the same without them!
Fun fact: Over 600 anthocyanins have been identified in nature, and these are formed from six different basic anthocyanin structures, called aglycones. These six are cyanidin (Cy), pelargonidin (Pg), delphinidin (Dp), petunidin (Pt), malvidin (Mv) and peonidin (Pn). These all differ in hue slightly with some more red, and some more purple.
Science experiment: Anthocyanins also differ in color according to the pH, with a more red color at low pH and a more blue color at high pH: this can be seen when you rinse out a wine glass with a tiny bit of red wine in it with tap water: the rise in pH causes the trace of wine to go from red to blue-black. Try it at home and see if you notice the color change (we promise: it’s more fun than raising Sea-Monkeys).
Discovery #3 Flavonols are a grape’s best defense
Where they come from: The skins of both red and white grapes.
Findings: Get this: Even wines need SPF daily! These helpful, protective compounds act as sunscreen against UV-A and UV-B light wavelengths. How cool is Mother Nature? Flavonol levels actually increase in response to enhanced UV exposure (they have a yellow color, which can contribute to the hue of white wines, and is masked in red wines). Scientists will tell you the most important of the flavonol is quercitin, but (and you won’t be tested on this) there’s also kaempferol, myrcetin, laricitrin, isorhamnetin and syringetin. That’s a mouthful.
Fun fact: Other sources of flavonoids include all citrus fruits, berries, ginkgo biloba, onions, parsley, pulses, tea (especially white and green tea), seabuckthorn, and chocolate with a cocoa content of 70 percent or greater. Who knew?
Discovery #4 Resveratrol is worth a second look
Where it comes from: Red wine skins.
Findings: Scientists and beauty marketers are making a big deal about this nifty polyphenol, but did you know that you can also find Resveratrol (gasp!) in peanuts and the Polygonum cuspidatum? (Google it: it’s a large perennial plant.) We recently posted a detailed blog post about the exciting potential (yet still mostly unproven) cosmetic benefits of Resveratrol here, but there are still some pretty hefty health claims it can make.
Tip: If you want these health benefits, go for the red over the white—but don’t go overboard! Very little goes a long way, whether applied in a beauty cream or consumed the old fashioned way.
Discovery #5 People actually study this stuff?
Findings: Want to learn more about what’s going on inside that single grape? You’ll want to rub elbows with a local, Paso Robles wine lab technician—and trust me, there are many around these parts! These helpful “wine scientists” are incredibly important to Paso Robles winemakers because it is literally their job to study whether a wine grape is developing the right ratio of sugars, tannins, and acids.
Fun fact: Around harvest time, the ability to “see” inside the grape is immensely valuable, as you might imagine! Pick too early, and the wine may suffer and be to acidic. Pick too late, and it could be too sugary, with higher-than-desired levels of alcohol! It all depends on the vision of the winemaker, but he/she rarely makes these decisions alone.
Experiment: In Paso Wine Country, tasting rooms are free-wheeling places where one can chat in person with winemakers, vineyard owners, and cellar workers alike. Next time you taste, ask a few questions about the grape phenolics and see if you can’t converse with the best of ‘em. The best part of wine phenolics? Just like when looking up at the Milky Way, there is always something new to discover.
And that, my friends, is why science rules.
Great Tasting Rooms for Grape Science Geeks!
Meet “Steve Cass the Science Guy” at Cass Winery and Vineyard
Click here for mapping and directions to Cass Winery
Be one with Nature at Brecon Estate
Click here for mapping and directions to Brecon Estate
Get the French Facts at Écluse Wines
Click here for mapping and directions to Écluse Wines
Laid Back Lesson at Chronic Cellars
Click here for mapping and directions to Chronic Cellars
Cool Coastal Education at Cutruzzola Vineyards
Click here for mapping and directions to Cutruzzola Vineyards
This blog was written by Hayley Thomas Cain, food and wine writer for SLO New Times and PasoRoblesWineries.net. You can reach her at hthomas@newtimesslo.com or follow her on instagram @flavorslo.
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