Wine Color and Its Significance
- Role in Tasting and Classification:
- Color is a key visual characteristic in wine tasting.
- Heavier wines generally exhibit deeper colors.
- The traditional tool for evaluating wine color was the tastevin.
Origins of Wine Color
- Source of Pigments:
- Mainly derived from the drupe (skin) of grape varieties.
- Teinturier grapes are unique, with pigments in both skin and pulp.
- Vinification Method:
- Maceration duration impacts color.
- Red grapes can yield white wine if pressed quickly, avoiding skin contact.
- Chemical Compounds:
- Phenolic compounds like anthocyanidins and tannins contribute to color.
- Co-pigmentation with other phenols enhances hues.
- Aging and Barrel Effects:
- Aging leads to color shifts, typically toward tawny shades.
- Oak barrels influence color through interaction with wine compounds.
Rosé and Blended Wines
- Short Maceration: Produces lighter, rosé wines by limiting skin contact.
- Blending: Combining red and white wines can also create rosé.
Color Evolution in Wine
- Chemical Reactions:
- Aging introduces autoxidation, forming stable pigment molecules (e.g., pyranoanthocyanins).
- New compounds such as vitisins, pinotins, and portosins emerge, stabilizing color.
- Adduct Formation:
- Flavanol-anthocyanin adducts form via reactions with tannins and yeast metabolites (e.g., acetaldehyde).
- Stability increases with specific pH adjustments.
- Oxygen Exposure:
- Controlled oxygen exposure can enhance wine color.
- Catechin and Xanthylium Pigments:
- Oxidation of colorless dimers (e.g., catechin) yields yellowish pigments like xanthylium salts.
Wine Colors
- Primary Colors:
- Gray: e.g., Vin gris.
- Orange: Skin-contact wines.
- Red: Varies from bluish-violet to deep crimson.
- Rosé: Pinkish hues.
- Tawny: e.g., tawny port.
- White: Light or straw-colored wines.
- Yellow: e.g., Vin jaune, Jurançon, or Sauternes.
- Special Shades:
- Burgundy: Purplish red.
- Sangria: Resembling sangría wine.
- Ox blood: Historically linked to fining with powdered blood.
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