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Tannins from wooden barrels can dramatically change the taste of a wine, but
no one knows if the ellagitannins in oak make for good or bad wine. Tannins
usually give a bitter, acidic taste, but ellagitannins are also antioxidants,
which can stop wine becoming sour and unpleasant over time. Steve Matta and
Bruce Beaver from Dusquesne University in Pittsburgh are analysing white oaks in
Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania, in an attempt to correlate their genetic
make-up, growing conditions and ellagitannin levels with good or bad wine when
the trees are eventually turned into barrels.