🍷 Wine colour
From pale lemon to deep garnet, changing with age.
Wine colour is the shade of a wine, which depends on the grape variety, how it was made and its age. The colour of wine depends on the grape variety, the method of production and age. It ranges from pale lemon to deep garnet. White wines are light, from nearly colourless to gold. Rosé comes from short contact between juice and skins. Red wines get their colour from the skins of dark berries.
The colouring matter of red wine is anthocyanins. They sit in the skins and pass into the juice during maceration, that is, soaking on the skins. The longer the contact, the darker the wine. The amount of anthocyanin depends on the variety: some give almost transparent wine, others inky.
Colour changes with age. White wine darkens toward gold, while red, on the contrary, lightens and takes on brick tones. So colour gives a rough idea of a wine's age and condition. But colour alone does not tell you the taste. So when choosing wine, look at it in the light: colour gives a hint of what to expect.
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Frequently asked questions
What determines the colour of wine?
The grape variety, the production method and age. For reds, the time the juice spends in contact with the skins matters.
Why is red wine red?
Because of anthocyanins, colouring compounds found in the skins of dark berries.
How does wine colour change with age?
White darkens toward gold, while red lightens and takes on brick shades.
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