🌿 Grape skin
The thin outer layer of the berry, holding colour, tannin and aroma.
Grape skin is the thin shell of the berry. It holds much of what makes wine what it is: pigments, tannins and aromatic compounds. The flesh is almost colourless and mostly consists of water, sugar and acids.
The colour of red wine comes from the skin: it contains anthocyanins, pigments of blue and red shades. Tannins, which give wine its drying taste, are found in the skins, seeds and stems. On the surface of the berry lies a bloom resembling a thin layer of wax. Wild yeasts live on it.
Skin thickness depends on the variety and climate. In hot sunny places it is thicker, because the vine protects itself from the sun. For this reason wines from there are often darker and more tannic. The winemaker decides how long to keep the juice on the skins: colour and taste depend on it. Skins are studied in other sciences too, but for wine they are the main carrier of colour and aroma.
Links
- Previous step
- 🌿 Grape berry, 🍷 Tannins, 🍷 Anthocyanins
- Packed in
- 🍷 Tannins, 🍷 Anthocyanins
- Part of
- 🌿 Grape berry
Frequently asked questions
What is in grape skin?
Pigments (anthocyanins), tannins and aromatic compounds.
Where does red wine get its colour?
From the berry skins, which contain anthocyanin pigments.
Why are skins thicker in a hot climate?
The vine protects itself from the sun, so a denser skin forms.
Similar
🌿 Grape seed · 🌿 Grape pulp · 🌿 Grapevine flowering · 🌿 Grape cluster