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What is Astringence? Feel it!

Lesson 9   

What is Astringence? Feel it!

Astringence is (tah-dah!) a physical sensation that actually constricts the muscles on your palate when they come into contact with sour, bitter, or tart substances. This is one of the reasons astringent, or tart, wines do not win high scores from the wine press. They are tasted alone without food and are easily overshadowed by the bigger, beefier, fruitier, oakier, everything-er wines.


Lemon Wedge. Salt. Hmm. Tequila!

Tip

Sensual Experience ExerciseÓ

Get a lemon and cut into wedges. Bite into a wedge. Now take that same lemon wedge and sprinkle it with sugar. Take another wedge and sprinkle it with salt. Do you notice that salt and sugar both lessen the lemon’s astringency?

Copyright © 2006 Catherine Fallis MS, Planet Grape LLC., www.planetgrape.com. All rights reserved. Logos and graphics are copyrighted by the respective owners. Comments.