🍷 Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are plant pigments. They give red, purple and blue colour to berries, flowers and leaves. In grapes they sit in the skins of dark varieties. The flesh of most varieties is colourless, so the juice of freshly pressed dark berries is pale.

To make red wine, the juice is soaked together with the skins. This is called maceration. Alcohol and warmth help anthocyanins move from the skins into the wine. The longer the contact, the darker the wine. The amount depends on the variety: some have little, others a lot. This decides whether the wine is clear red or nearly black.

Anthocyanins are tied to wine colour. Over time they combine with tannins and break down, and the colour of red wine shifts from purple to brick. These compounds are also regarded as antioxidants, but wine should not be drunk for that reason: the effect of alcohol on health matters more.