Same grape, different wine
Tannat around the world
Across 3 still-wine expressions, Tannat varies most on earthy character — from low in Uruguayan Tannat to medium-plus in Cahors. That single axis carries most of the difference between them.
Where they differ
Only the dimensions on which these wines genuinely diverge. Anything varying by less than a scale point and a half is left out, because it would be noise.
| Dimension | Lowest | Highest | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthy character | Uruguayan Tannat | Cahors | 3 points |
The expressions
Ordered from lightest to fullest, so the page reads as a gradient rather than a list.
Cahors
Cool climateMalbec in its French homeland: darker, firmer and more savoury than the Argentine version.
Against its siblings: earthier.
- Cool climate. Slower ripening tends to retain acidity and hold alcohol down, and green or citrus notes survive where a warmer site would ripen them away.
- Oak ageing. Extended time in barrel adds spice and structure and slowly softens tannin.
Uruguayan Tannat
Moderate climateTannat made rounder and more approachable than in its French home — Uruguay’s national red.
Against its siblings: cleaner and more fruit-focused.
- Oak ageing. Extended time in barrel adds spice and structure and slowly softens tannin.
Madiran
Cool climateTannat from south-west France: among the most tannic red wines made anywhere, and the birthplace of micro-oxygenation.
- Cool climate. Slower ripening tends to retain acidity and hold alcohol down, and green or citrus notes survive where a warmer site would ripen them away.
- Oak ageing. Extended time in barrel adds spice and structure and slowly softens tannin.
Nothing here is written by hand. The comparison is computed from the taste profiles held for each style, and the drivers listed under each wine are read off structured data — the region’s climate, the style’s recorded production methods, its oak and sweetness bands. That means this page cannot drift out of step with the style pages it describes, and it also means it says less than a wine writer would: a cause is only listed when the catalogue actually records it. See the taste model.