Explainer | How to Remove Tannins from Water or Wine? 

Thinking about how to remove tannins from water? This article breaks down the ways to do so along with its basics. 

Introduction: 

Tannins, these enigmatic compounds are naturally found in a wide array of plant-based foods and beverages and are known to play a key role in everything from wine aging to tea flavoring and many traditional medicines of current times. Tannins have been on a long journey through the world of flavors, scents, and the remarkable interplay between science and human cultures in the past many decades. This article gives an introduction to tannins, and their health impacts and also answers the question of how to remove tannins from water. 

What are Tannins?

Tannins, also known as fulvic or humic acid are what make an underripe plum or pear pucker and cover your tongue when you bite into it. It is a class of bitter and naturally occurring phenolic chemicals which are found in plants. To be specific, they are found in breaks and wood of different plants including walnuts, cranberry, cacao, grapes, oil, and many tea plants. To be more specific, they are extracted and found in many kinds of plants, most commonly extracted from a grape’s skins, stems, and seeds. The most prevalent habitats for tannins are low-lying places, marshy land, and coastal environments. 

Uses of Tannis:

Although bitter, they are still used in beverages and drinks. When properly handled, their astringency and bitterness may be really enjoyable. Tea, coffee, dark chocolate, and wine are a few examples where tannis is frequently used by humans. Our species have also been fond of using tannins from various tree bark to tan animal hides and make leather. 

You may feel a brief puckering or drying sensation, depending on the strength of the tannins. Some people compare this to the astringent feeling they get from eating an unripe fruit or sipping strong black tea. Tannins can also have different mouthfeels and textures, ranging from harsh and gritty to smooth and velvety.

Tannins extracted from the grape skins and seeds are very significant in the process of aging and the flavor profile of wines. How? do they contribute to their structure, color, and astringency? They are even more significant when it comes to red wines. Tannins are probably at play if a wine has ever been described as "grippy". In addition to a wine's body, acidity, aromas, and alcohol content, tannins play a significant role in what makes a particular wine stand out. 

How to remove tannins from water?

Tannin is essentially organic stuff dissolved in water. Because of the dissolving plant tissue and vegetation, it can be found in both surface and groundwater. The fact that there are so many distinct kinds of tannins makes it challenging to treat with complete assurance. There are many methods to treat waste from tannins. First, water treatment experts often use Ion Swapping or exchange to find a solution to the tannin problem. 

This technique is frequently used by whole-house water softening systems, which one can install at the point where water enters your home. Tannins are negatively charged; thus they may be taken out of the water by an ion-exchange resin that is positively charged. 

Another method is to use Granular Activated Carbon Filters which are designed to adsorb organic compounds, including tannins. The water stream is allowed to pass through a bed of activated carbon. This enables the carbon to capture the tannins and also results in improving water color and taste. But this procedure requires periodic replacement of the carbon. In case you want more responses to the question “how to remove tannins from water”, we can also recommend another method; one can also use chemical coagulants to remove tannins from water including aluminum sulfate (alum) or ferric chloride. 

When it comes to wine, there are also certain methods to get rid of water and reduce the tannin impact on your precious wine;  To do this, start by pouring your wine into a standard decanter and let it sit for a while. This will help aerate the wine and also significantly soften the tannins. This practice is particularly useful for young red wines. Other ways include reverse osmosis in which one can electively remove tannins or other components from the young wine. Letting wine age with time also makes it easy to get softened as well.