Wait... Is Wine Supposed To Taste "Bitter"?

Apr 22 • General

Howdy Slik Skool!

I had the pleasure of hanging out with @Tammy Matlock on Friday, and we blind-tasted a wine together. One of her friends says she doesn't like "bitter" wine. I've heard this a time or two, so I started to go into detective mode to figure out what she meant.

"Bitter" tastes in wine can come from a few places:

Tannins (those mouth-drying things in reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Nebbiolo)
Over-extracted grapes (when winemakers go hard on squeezing skins/seeds)
Unripe grapes (underripe = green, bitter vibes)
Oak aging (some barrels add a touch of bitter spice)

If I had to lump it more generally, I think if people don't like an Old World red wine or a thick-skinned grape like Cabernet. They don't like earthy big reds with big tannin.

Your Turn!

Hit the comments and tell us:

Have you ever had a wine that tasted bitter? What was it?
Did you hate it… or did it grow on you?
Bonus: If you love bitter flavors (espresso, IPA beer, kale—no judgment!), drop your faves below!

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