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Color is Only Skin Deep.
Color in wine grapes is only skin deep. The red, blue and purple pigments, called anthocyanins, develop in grape skins as the fruit ripens. The pulp and juice of the fruit, however, are colorless - so during winemaking the grapes are crushed to let the broken skins mix with the juice for several days (this mixture is called “must”).
Just as people vary in skin tone, grape varieties have various levels of anthocyanin, and so make a range of lighter to darker wines. The red and pink tones of a Pinot Noir tend to be on the lighter end of the color scale for reds, while the purple and black tones of Petite Sirah fall to the darkest end of the scale.
Many wine drinkers equate the depth of color in a wine with its intensity and concentration, so making a wine more saturated in color is always more desirable. Adding natural enzymes to the must, and frequently “punching down” the cap of skins into the liquid will help the skins to break down and disperse their colors into the juice at an efficient rate, so color extraction is maximized.
Viticultural techniques are used to produce smaller, more concentrated berries so there is a higher percentage of skin to juice contact during winemaking. Leaves on vines are cut back to give the grapes more sun exposure to boost development of anthocyanins. And riper grapes tend to be darker grapes, so harvesting is conducted at the peak of ripeness.
Avoiding some winemaking pitfalls will help with color, as well. While filtering wine is important at critical points in the winemaking process, over-filtering will steal some of the color from the wine. Also, overuse of sulfites in the winemaking process can diminish pigmentation.
As red wines age, their colors will change and lighten to some extent. Just as oxidation over time will break down tannins in wine, it will diminish wine color. Darker reds will generally hold their colors longer, because anthocyanins, like tannins, are antioxidants that resist rapid oxidation.
Hue and depth of color reveal clues to a wine’s variety and aging potential. And more importantly, the way the wine looks is a significant factor in the overall pleasure of experiencing wine. So while the grape’s color is only skin deep, the effect of that color in your wine is truly meaningful.
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