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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Looking for a particular answer? Check my archive and my FAQs.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

I was recently told by a server in a restaurant that most winemakers "put less tannin" into wines that are allocated for restaurants. According to her, producers make the same wine in two different styles, so that the restaurant wine will be drinkable immediately upon release. This didn't sound right to me, but I didn't want to argue with her. Is she correct?

—Angie, Ohio

Dear Angie,

That's not true, but I can see where the confusion might come from. Producers won't make differently tannic versions of the same bottling. But a producer who makes a variety of different wines might market a particular bottling to restaurants as more food friendly because of light tannins. Likewise, restaurateurs might seek out these less-tannic wines to serve.

—Dr. Vinny

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