Tannat
Tannat is a red grape that gives a very tannic, intense color, strong wine. Due to the high concentration of tannins has varietal young Tannatwein a strong astringency, their degradation a long time ( about 20 months) requires bottle aging.
A study published in 2007 study shows that the varieties Baroque, Manseng Noir and Tannat are genetically very closely related. There is also a striking similarity to the variety Malbec, and the variety is genetically Claverie also closely related to this group.
Health effect
The Tannat applies since the publication of the research results of Roger Corder in the science journal Nature as the " healthiest " red wine at all. This variety provides for traditional processing ( which is practically maintained only in the two small growing areas Gers and Nuoro in France and Sardinia ), the main active constituent procyanidin ( crucial subgroup of polyphenols).
The classic wine presses ( fermentation with skins and seeds of three to four weeks), while it provides a the highest levels of procyanidins, which have proven to be preventive for heart and circulatory diseases, as well as free radical scavengers. Because of the high natural content connected to the rest -less extraction, this wine has good four times as much procyanidins as all other tested red wines - especially the most only very briefly gekelterten Tannat wines from Uruguay.
Growing areas
The area of origin of the vine is probably in the Pyrenees. The main growing area of 3001 hectares (2007, ) today lies in the southwest of France, where they ( almost) pure varietal wine is made in the Madiran AOC and a strong red wine results. In Cahors it is blended with the prevailing Malbec = Auxerrois, to give the wines more backbone. Among the best known include Madirans Montus, Bouscassé, Berthoumieu, d' Aydie, Laffont, Labranche Laffont, Lenclos. Other French regions are Tursan, Côtes de Saint -Mont, Irouleguy in the Pyrenees, Cotes du Brulhois (an area in the north of Gascony) and Béarn.
In America, Tannat is often pressed single varietal, but also like blended with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, to make them softer and earlier marketable. Growing area is mainly Uruguay (2000 hectares ), where she also bears the name Harriague after the founder of cultivation, the Basque France emigrants Don Pascual Harriague. Mainly the wine is marketed under the name " Tannat ". The Tannat wine regions in Uruguay Canelones, Montevideo, San José and Maldonado.
Smaller quantities cultivated there will be parallel in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia ( Santa Cruz area Uva tannate ), California, Perú ( in the province of Ica, such as winery Tacama ) and Portugal.
Small quantities are grown in Australia.
Italy: Rest areas are in Sardinia ( Nuoro province, where they are made in the traditional way, with three to four weeks fermentation with skins and seeds ) and Apulia.
Switzerland: An experimental cultivation takes place in small areas in the Valais and Ticino.
In South Africa there is a residual cultivation of 10 hectares; He was important in the past.
Like all tannic wines is the Tannat very durable.
Synonyms
Moustrou, Madiran ( after a French region), Harriague ( Uruguay and Argentina), Bordeleza (Basque ), Bordeaux, Tannat noir.