Chances are, the last time you enjoyed a glass of red wine, that you gave much thought to why the wine looked, smelled and tasted as it did.  Unless you’re steeped in the biochemistry field, you (and I) are simply searching for that well balanced red that can be enjoyed on its own or with food.  But have you ever given thought to why a red looks, smells, tastes and “feels” the way it does in your mouth?  What is it that makes it the perfect match for food or alternatively, what is it that simply fights with a dish? The answer lies within the field of biochemistry.

If not already, familiarize yourself with the term phenol.  While I have no intention of launching into a detailed discussion about the chemical structure of this group of several hundred compounds, they all have a common structural element, a hydroxyl group (-OH) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group.  But oh yes, I promised that I would steer clear of biochemistry.  Anyway, bond more than one phenol together and you get……….polyphenols.

Polyphenols are commonly divided into two sub-categories:  flavinoids and non-flavinoids.  As the name implies, flavinoids contain compounds that contribute color and mouthfeel of the wine such as anthocyanins and tannins while the non-flavinoids include the highly publicized and touted compound Resveratrol and numerous acids.