What Are Tannins? (And Why Cider Lovers Should Care)

Walk through the orchard during harvest and you’ll hear us talking about tannins quite a bit.

Guests often nod politely… then ask us the same question.

“What exactly are tannins?”

It’s one of our favourite questions because once you understand tannins, you’ll start tasting cider in a whole new way.

The easiest way to understand them is to think about a cup of strong black tea.

Take a sip and notice how your mouth feels afterward. That gentle dryness on your tongue and the sides of your cheeks isn’t from the temperature or the bitterness. It’s the tannins.

Now imagine that same sensation in a glass of cider.

Some ciders leave your mouth feeling crisp and refreshing. Others have a little more grip that lingers after each sip. That’s tannins at work.

So… What Are Tannins?

Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. You’ll find them in tea, red wine, dark chocolate, walnuts, oak, and apples.

In cider, tannins give structure and balance. They create texture and body, helping a cider feel fuller and more complex while balancing sweetness and acidity.

Think of acidity as the brightness, sweetness as the fruit, and tannins as the backbone. Together, they create a balanced cider that’s both refreshing and interesting.

Why Do Cider Apples Have More Tannins?

Not all apples are created equal.

The apples you find at the grocery store are bred to be sweet, juicy, and delicious to eat fresh.

Traditional cider apples have a different purpose.

Varieties like Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black, Dabinett, and Frequin Rouge are grown because they’re naturally high in tannins and acidity. In fact, many of them aren’t especially enjoyable to eat straight from the tree. They’re often too bitter, too tart, or too astringent.

But press them, ferment them, and something remarkable happens.

Those same characteristics create balanced, complex ciders with depth, structure, and personality.

It’s much like the difference between table grapes and wine grapes.

One is grown for snacking.

The other is grown for making something extraordinary.

Why Do Tannins Matter?

Tannins are one of the ingredients that give a cider its personality.

Without them, a cider can be bright, fruity, and refreshing.

With them, it gains depth, structure, and a finish that lingers pleasantly after each sip.

They’re also one of the reasons traditional cider pairs so well with food. Tannins help balance rich flavours, much like a bold red wine complements a hearty meal.

The next time you’re enjoying a tasting flight, don’t just focus on what you taste. Pay attention to how each cider feels. That subtle difference in texture is often the tannins telling their story.

Every Harvest Tells a Different Story

One of the beautiful things about cider is that it begins long before the apples reach the press.

Rainfall, sunshine, cool nights, and warm afternoons all influence how tannins develop in the fruit. No two harvests are exactly alike, which means every vintage tells the story of that growing season.

At Merridale, we don’t try to make every cider taste exactly the same.

Instead, we celebrate what the orchard gives us.

It’s one of the reasons cider is so fascinating. Nature has the final say, and every harvest leaves its own signature in the glass.

Experience Tannins for Yourself

The best way to understand isn’t by reading about them. It’s by tasting them.

The next time you visit Merridale, order a cider tasting flight and compare ciders with different tannin levels side by side.

Start with Scrumpy and Traditional Cider, two of our more tannin-forward ciders. Notice the fuller mouthfeel and the gentle dryness that lingers after each sip.

Then compare them with Cowichan Dry and House Cider, which are lighter in tannins and showcase a brighter, crisper style.

There are no right or wrong answers. Everyone experiences cider a little differently. That’s part of the fun.

By tasting them side by side, you’ll discover how tannins influence the structure, texture, and finish of a cider, and you’ll start to understand why traditional cider apples create such unique flavours.

Next time you’re at our Cobble Hill cidery in the Cowichan Valley, ask one of our storytellers to guide you through the comparison. Once you experience tannins in the glass, you’ll never think about cider the same way again.