Wine Facts

Tannat is a red wine grape, historically grown in South West France in the Madiran AOC and is now one of the most prominent grapes in Uruguay, where it is considered the "national grape". It is also grown in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Peru, and in Italy's Puglia region where it is used as a blending grape. In the US state of Virginia, there are small experimental plantings of the vine, and plantings in California have increased dramatically in the first years of the 21st Century. Tannat wines produced in Uruguay are usually quite different in character from Madiran wines, being lighter in body and lower in tannins. It is also used to make Armagnac and full bodied rosé. In France, efforts to solve the harsh tannic nature of the grape lead to the development of the winemaking technique known as micro-oxygenation.

Madiran wines from Tannat are often made by soaking the grapes with their seeds. This produces a wine with the highest level of procyanidins which are anti-oxidant, but also help repair cells of the coronary arteries in the heart. Men from Madiran have a long life expectancy, possibly as a result of procyanidin intake.

###