---
title: "FAQ: What are some wines with low levels of tannin? - Vincarta"
description: What are some wines with low levels of tannin? Discover how tannins influence your wine tasting experience and which varieties contain the least.
image: https://vincarta.com/hubfs/mauro-lima-VQRmSYDTDjs-unsplash.jpg
---
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# FAQ: What are some wines with low levels of tannin?
[By Tom Wall](https://vincarta.com/blog/author/tom-wall)
Published 28 June 2017 Updated September 29 2024
Lots of people (myself included) prefer low tannin wines. Give us a good Pinot over a robust Cabernet Sauvignon any day. However, a lot of the problem with ‘too much tannin’ turns out to be a problem with ‘badly made wine with poorly integrated or unbalanced tannin’.
Before we get to the wine, let’s take a look at tannins in more detail.
## **Sources of tannins**
White wines and rosés have much lower tannin than reds because they aren’t fermented with their grape skins and/or stalks and seeds.
(There a few exceptions, such as ‘orange’ wine, oak-aged and some delicate aromatic varietals, eg Riesling, where there might be a bit of skin contact or cold maceration or whatever, giving a touch more tannins.)
Interestingly, most berries, raw nuts and even beer also contain tannins according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin). And of course tea and coffee.
[](https://resources.vincarta.com/wine-tasting-for-beginners)
## Wines with lower levels of tannins
For those whose mind is already made up:**Whites and rosés**. For the reasons mentioned earlier.
**Old wines** will have less tannin because the tannins polymerise out over time. For example, a 20–30 year old Bordeaux will have much less tannin than a new release.
**Winery-aged wines**. The longer a wine stays in barrel at the winery the more likely it is to have softened for the same reason. I tasted some young Barolo out of the barrel at [Cascina Fontana](https://vincarta.com/blog/cascina-fontana-barolo-wine/). Oh yes, there were tannins! But they will soften with time. This is why top winemaker [Quintarelli](https://vincarta.com/blog/quintarelli/) ages their Amarone for eight years before release while other winemakers only manage 3–4 years. But avoid wines that have been aged in a lot of new oak as that will likely add oak tannins to the tannins that came from the vine.
**Low-tannin varietals**. Try a **Pinot Noir** – my low-tannin tipple of choice. Or for something less ‘obvious’ how about a **Barbera** from Piedmont, Italy. It’s an area best known for heavyweight Barolos but their food-friendly everyday wines are very approachable. (See our article about **[Piedmont and Barolo: Italy’s majestic wine country](https://vincarta.com/blog/piedmont-and-barolo/)**. Typically Malbec and Merlot are more medium-tannin varieties and they can be a nice alternative to tannin-heavy Cabernet Sauvignons.
**Let it breathe**. Although it doesn’t affect the levels of tannin in a wine, decanting it (or double decanting back into the bottle) an hour or two before serving can allow a tannic wine to ‘open up’ and it will feel and taste smoother.
[](https://resources.vincarta.com/wine-tasting-for-beginners)
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