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Wines like Tannat
One of the most tannic wine grapes in commercial use, native to south-west France and the national variety of Uruguay. Below: what to try next, grouped by the direction you want to travel.
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What do you like about Tannat?
Optional — the results below already work without it. But “I like Malbec” is at least four different preferences wearing one name, and saying which one you mean changes the answer substantially. Only qualities this wine actually has are offered.
What these words mean
- The firm, grippy structure
- High tannin — the drying grip on your gums, like over-brewed tea. It gives a red something to hold on to with rich food, and it is what lets a wine age.
- How full and weighty it is
- Body is how much the wine seems to fill your mouth — the difference between skimmed and whole milk. It comes mostly from alcohol and ripeness.
- The vanilla and oak
- Vanilla, toast, coconut, sweet spice, sometimes smoke. It comes from the barrel rather than the grape, which is why the same grape can taste completely different with and without it.
- The savoury, meaty side
- Leather, olive, cured meat, dried herbs, tobacco. It is what people mean by calling a wine "serious" rather than "fruity", and it comes with age as well as with place.
- The earthy, mineral side
- Forest floor, wet stone, mushroom, damp earth. Widely described and much less well explained than wine writing implies — the sensation is real, the causal story usually is not.
- That it is properly dry
- No perceptible sugar at all. Almost all red wine is dry and a good deal of white wine is not, which is why this is a more useful thing to say about a white than about a red.
Looking for something keeping the firm tannic structure, while moving away from too savoury or funky and too heavy.
Based on what you said
Ranked against the qualities you named rather than against the wine as a whole. The directions below are refined the same way.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less heavy.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- Substantially less heavy.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less heavy.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less heavy.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
- Substantially less heavy.
Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less heavy.
Touriga Nacional
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the firm tannic structure.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
- About as heavy as the wine you started from.
Pinotage
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Has some of the firm tannic structure, though less of it.
- A little less savoury or funky.
- A little less heavy.
Closest overall
Nearest neighbours, no change of direction.
Closest matches
The nearest overall neighbours across structure and flavour, with no deliberate change of direction.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Different grape, similar feel
Deliberately excludes the variety you already know, to find a genuinely new wine that fills the same role.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Change the structure
Same idea, different weight, grip or freshness.
Similar but lighter
Keeps the character but reduces weight, alcohol and density in the mouth.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and less tannic and softer.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and less tannic and softer.
Mondeuse Noire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and less tannic and softer.
Cru Beaujolais
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be lighter, and less tannic and softer.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Holds the character and the weight where it can, and moves specifically on strength. Note that below about 11% the choices narrow sharply, and below 5% they are mostly a different category rather than a lighter version of the same one.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Mondeuse Noire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Cru Beaujolais
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Dolcetto
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Similar but fuller
Keeps the character but adds weight, concentration and mouthfeel.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Touriga Nacional
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Petit Verdot
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more restrained in fruit.
Toro
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Petite Sirah
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Similar but less tannic
For readers who find firm reds drying. Reduces tannic grip while holding flavour and weight roughly steady.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but fresher
Raises acidity and overall lift, usually by moving to a cooler-climate expression.
Mondeuse Noire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Refosco
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more restrained in fruit.
Blaufränkisch
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Graciano
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more fruit-driven.
Similar but softer
Lowers acidity and sharpness in favour of a broader, gentler feel.
Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Toro
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
California Cabernet Sauvignon
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more fruit-driven.
Syrah
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more savoury.
The sparkling version
Moves to a sparkling expression while holding the flavour and weight as close as possible.
Sparkling Shiraz
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more fruit-driven.
Lambrusco
Lambrusco scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Lambrusco Grasparossa
Lambrusco Grasparossa scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Similar but sweeter
Adds perceptible sweetness, which also softens acidity and chilli heat.
Touriga Nacional
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Touriga Franca
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more fruit-driven.
Pinotage
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Vintage Port
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Change the flavour
Same shape, different aromatic character.
Similar but less oaky
One of the commonest requests in wine. Strips oak influence while holding grape character and weight.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Mondeuse Noire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Bobal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more restrained in fruit.
Refosco
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but more oaky
Adds barrel character, toast and a creamier texture.
Pinotage
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
California Cabernet Sauvignon
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more fruit-driven.
Bolgheri
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and less tannic and softer.
Super Tuscan
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and less tannic and softer.
Similar but more aromatic
More to smell before you taste — floral, fruity or spiced aromatics.
Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Barbaresco
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Nebbiolo
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Similar but more restrained
For readers who find intensely aromatic wines tiring over a whole glass. Keeps the structure, turns the volume down.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but more floral
Pushes specifically towards rose, violet, blossom and elderflower character.
Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Barbaresco
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Nebbiolo
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Similar but more savoury
Moves away from primary fruit towards earth, herb, meat and umami character.
Taurasi
Taurasi scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Barolo
Barolo scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Brunello di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Naoussa Xinomavro
Naoussa Xinomavro scores closest to Tannat across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but fruitier
More obvious, generous fruit flavour, usually from a warmer climate.
Touriga Nacional
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Toro
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
California Pinot Noir
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Petite Sirah
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Change the place
Keep the grape, move it somewhere else.
Same grape, somewhere else
Holds the variety constant and changes the place, which is often a bigger change than swapping the grape.
Same grape, cooler climate
Typically fresher, lighter and more herbal, with lower alcohol.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Cahors
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Madiran
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more savoury.
Uruguayan Tannat
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more savoury.
Same grape, warmer climate
Typically riper, fuller and more generous in fruit, with higher alcohol.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Madiran
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more savoury.
Uruguayan Tannat
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more savoury.
Cahors
Both are made from tannat, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more restrained in fruit, and more savoury.
Change the mood
Safer, stranger, cheaper or more serious.
A safe next step
Well-known wines that are widely available and unlikely to surprise anyone.
Cabernet Sauvignon
curatedA structured, tannic red in the same family of wines but far more widely available.
Expect: Noticeably less tannic and more aromatic.
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
California Pinot Noir
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Something more adventurous
Less familiar wines that occupy similar territory — the interesting end of the shelf.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
A better-value alternative
Wines that occupy similar sensory territory from regions carrying less price premium. WineHQ does not hold live prices, so this reasons from regional reputation and demand rather than from a price feed — treat it as a lead, not a quote.
Dolcetto
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
Uco Valley Malbec
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and stronger and warmer.
Fer Servadou
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and lighter.
A step up
The benchmark expressions of the same territory, usually with more concentration, structure and ageing potential.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Brunello di Montalcino
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Barolo
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Priorat
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fuller and richer, and stronger and warmer.
Northern Rhône Syrah
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and less tannic and softer.
Each suggestion is scored across sixteen taste dimensions, weighted so that structure matters more than flavour, and adjusted for whether the wine actually moves in the direction you asked for. Curated links from an editor carry extra weight — but only when the editor tagged them for this direction. Nothing here is a black box; see the taste model for the full method.