Why does red wine taste so bitter? is white wine less bitter?!


Question: As mentioned, taste is subjective. And, taste changes with exposure.

What's bitter to you may be awesome to me.

I'd guess the most likely culprit is that at some point you had some cheap wine and it was very tannic and dry. Now when you taste red wine, you have a "taste memory" of that occasion.

If you don't like red wine, don't force yourself to drink it. As a wine collecter and lover, I'd much rather have someone tell me that they don't like red wine than to take pour after pour of my special red wines and just be drinking it to satisfy me, or to not drink it all.

If you want to learn how to appreciate it, check around for some wine classes. This way you can try a bunch of different wines and see if there is one style that you can handle. From there, once you acquire the taste, you can branch out.

White wines can be "bitter" as well - if by bitter you mean not sweet. If you want sweet, look for inexpensive Gewurztraminer (Guh-wurts-trah-mee-ner) or Reisling. Fetzer makes very sweet and inexpensive wines in this genre.

Good luck to you. : )


Answers: As mentioned, taste is subjective. And, taste changes with exposure.

What's bitter to you may be awesome to me.

I'd guess the most likely culprit is that at some point you had some cheap wine and it was very tannic and dry. Now when you taste red wine, you have a "taste memory" of that occasion.

If you don't like red wine, don't force yourself to drink it. As a wine collecter and lover, I'd much rather have someone tell me that they don't like red wine than to take pour after pour of my special red wines and just be drinking it to satisfy me, or to not drink it all.

If you want to learn how to appreciate it, check around for some wine classes. This way you can try a bunch of different wines and see if there is one style that you can handle. From there, once you acquire the taste, you can branch out.

White wines can be "bitter" as well - if by bitter you mean not sweet. If you want sweet, look for inexpensive Gewurztraminer (Guh-wurts-trah-mee-ner) or Reisling. Fetzer makes very sweet and inexpensive wines in this genre.

Good luck to you. : )

Bitter? Well taste is subjective. Are you sure the bottle was okay?

Red wine tends to be less smooth than white. But i like the taste of red over white. Try a decent Merlot.

I believe it is because it has tannins. I think that is why red wine is suppose to be good for you too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin

That's because of tannins. As red wines usually aging in barrels it get it tannins from the wood. Also, what is the difference in making white wine and red?
Red wines while it is being make has contact with skin and kernels. It gives the red colour to the wine and some portion of its tannins.
White wines is aging in barrels rarely or the wood the barrels are old. So it is less tannin.

try something slightly sweet, an Italian table red. start with a sweeter lambrusco and get used to other red wines from that.

Take my word for it, not all red wines are bitter. Zinfadels, rose's, and muscats for instance are not bitter, but rather sweet.

For the most part, red wines like merlot, cabernet, and pinot noirs usually take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to mature for drinking. As stated in another thread, once opened, they usually don't last for very long either. Let's say I buy a 2005 cabernet from Napa or malbec from Argentina. It will taste good if I open it and drink it now, but I will sense a bit of acidity, causing a pucker when tasted. Yet, if I wait until possibly 2008 or better 2010, after storing in a cool dark place, it will be exquisite, the flavors will be less acidic, and the complexities will be more balanced, smooth and lush.

Just a little something they teach us at BevMo at wine tastings.

that is a good question, because i made some red wine and thought it was bitter but everyone else said it was the best wine they ever tasted

Red wines that taste dryer have more tannins then the wines that are less dryer.Check out a pinot noir or zinfandel from California and they are less dryer then cabernet sauvignon.





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