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Wine for Normal People

Wine for Normal People

Ep 617: Back to Basics: Structure in Wine Part 1 - Acidity & Tannin

Aug 18, 2026 · 56m

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About this episode

This time it's Back to Basics -- describing two of the four main components that make up the structure of wine - Acidity & Tannin. It's both simple, and very dorky (I quote the NIH at one point, worth a listen!) In this show I go back to basics and talk about structure. As I said in the book, I think of wine like a picture frame -- the sides have to be even for it to work. I liken the structure of wine to art and talk a little about the Mona Lisa and how it relates to the four main elements of structure: tannin, acidity, alcohol, sugar (or lack of sugar) plus the flavors of wine in my favorite wine analogy. Then I discuss acidity and tannin: What they are Their roles in wine Where they come…