🍷 Wine (colour)

Wine colour is a dark red shade with a slight lilac or purple tint, named after the colour of red wine. The word "wine" here refers not to the drink but to a colour that resembles it. The colour of red wine depends on the grape, age and method of production. Young red wine can be violet-red; with years it turns brick and brownish. The skins of black grapes contain natural pigments, anthocyanins. They pass into the juice when the juice ferments with the skins. That is how the wine gets its deep colour. In French a similar shade is called lie de vin, "wine lees". The name refers to the colour of the sediment left at the bottom of a barrel or bottle. The word is used in clothing, design and dyeing, for example "wine red" or "burgundy". Colour is the first thing a person sees in the glass. Tasters use it to judge a wine's age and density. In culture, however, wine colour has long been a shade in its own right.