Apple Cider Wine - adding Tannin

All the recipes I have for apple juice or cider wine call for 1/4 teaspoon of tannin, per gallon. I also would like to make some cider wine, but can't find cider without preservatives. Bart

Search your local area for "pick your own" apples. The one local to me also had apples and cider for sale. No preservatives, and unpasturized, if you can believe that in this world today. I'm guessing they just produce apple cider so people can make hard cider. Or for people who think pasturizing is bad, or something.

I left out the tannin, myself. Just cider, some spices, and cider yeast from the wine store.

Thanks. My question is : what does Tannin do? Does it make it more "bite" or less "bite"?

I'm not sure what part of US you are > All the recipes I have for apple juice or cider wine call for 1/4 teaspoon

It is always difficult to describe what something tastes like. We have lots of words that we are all familiar with that describe what something looks like but not that many that we all agree on that describe a taste.

Tannin adds zest or bite to the flavor if that does anything for you. Do some experimenting even if you have to put off your adjustment a few weeks. It will not hurt your wine to wait a little. Try this. Put 1/4 tsp of grape tannin in a gallon of water. Set it aside for a few days to sit. Then taste it and some plain water. this should give you an idea of what underlying taste you are looking for.

If your wine tastes flat or unbalanced it could be due to lack of acid (sour) or lack of tannin (bite). It is not always easy to tell which and if both are off it is really hard. But if the acidity okay but it seems to be lacking something, it is probably tannin. Try adding a little and see how it effects it.

Ray

Tannin is the dry astringent mouth puckering quality found in red wines but not in white wines. It is the bitterness found in plum skins and grape skins.

it is found in white wines. Just not to as great of an extent. Without any tannin, white wines will be flat and flabby.

Ray

It is what provides a "chalkiness" or drying effect to the wine. Yes,it occurs in both whites and reds but much, much, MUCH higher in reds particularly because of the skin contact time ( Thanks. My question is : what does Tannin do? Does it make it more "bite"

Yes, DAve you must wait the allotted time with patience to receive your reword.

Thanks for all the replies. Now I get it. :*) I think I understand now what to "taste" for applying Tannin to the apple cider wine.

next... pumpk>

Write that down and hold her to it! ;o)

Ray

No, talk her into a passive wine cellar underneath the backyard.