Is it a tannic wine?
TAN-ni-co — three syllables, double 'n', stress on first.
When about to taste a red wine and wanting to know its tannin level — relevant to food pairing and personal preference.
'Tannico' = tannic — the drying sensation caused by tannins (polyphenols from grape skins, seeds, and stems, as well as oak barrels). Barolo and Brunello are highly tannic. Dolcetto and Barbera are less tannic. Tannins soften with age.
È un vino morbido?
Is it a soft wine?
'Morbido' = soft — a wine with low tannin and high glycerin feels velvety
I tannini sono rotondi o austeri?
Are the tannins round or austere?
Technical question: 'rotondi' = soft and integrated; 'austeri' = firm and unresolved
Il vino è astringente?
Is the wine astringent?
'Astringente' = the drying, puckering sensation of strong tannins
Tannins in Italian wine are a topic of passionate debate. The 'modernist' school (Antinori, Gaja in earlier years) softened tannins through new oak barrel use. The 'traditionalist' school (Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello) preserves the grape's natural austere tannins, which require 10–20 years to integrate. Both schools produce extraordinary wine.