The color of wine is one of the most easily recognizable characteristics of wines. Color is also an element in wine tasting since heavy wines generally have a deeper color. The accessory used to judge the wine color is the tastevin, a shallow cup allowing to see the color of the liquid in the dim light of a cellar. The color is an element in the classification of wines.
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Color origins
The color of the wine mainly depends on the color of the drupe of the grape variety. Since pigments are localized in the exocarp (skin) of the grape drupe, not in the juice, the color of the wine depends on the method of vinification and the time the must is in contact with those skins, process called maceration. The blending of two or more varieties of grapes can explain for the color of certain wines, like the use of Australian Rubired.
Red drupe grapes can produce white wine if they are quickly pressed and the juice not allowed to be in contact with the skins. The color is mainly due to plant pigments notably phenolic compounds (anthocyanidins, tannins ...). The color depends on the presence of acids in the wine. It is altered with the wine aging by reaction between the different active molecules present in the wine, these reactions generally giving rise to a browning of the wine. The use of a wooden barrel (generally oak barrels) in aging also affects the color of the wine.
Presence of complex mixture of anthocyanins with procyanidins can increase the stability of color in wine[1].
Colors
Main colors of wine are :
- red
- white (light colored wine)
- Rosé (pinkish in color)
- yellow (or straw color), see for instance vin jaune, a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura wine region in eastern France, Jurançon or Sauternes
Orange wine , a white wine that has spent some time in contact with its skin, giving it a slightly darker hue
Other :
- Burgundy (color), a shade of purplish red
- Sangria (color), a color that resembles Sangría wine
See also
- Glossary of winemaking terms
- Wine (color) or "Burgundy", the color of red wine
References
External links
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