The Colors of Wine

What To Look For in the Color of Wine

Intensity of Color

How intense is the color of the wine? Is it pale with very little pigment or is it staining the sides of the glass? This pointer will tell you if the wine is lighter/denser in style. Wines with more intense colors tend to be bolder and have higher tannins. The longer a winemaker keeps the skins of the grapes in contact with the juice while making the wine, the darker and more intense the color of the wine becomes. However, along with the skins (that add intense color), there are also grape seeds (pips) and stems which will add increasing amounts of tannin to a wine. Too much tannin can make a wine bitter and overly dry. Hints of blue at the edge of the glass are an indication of higher acidity.

Opacity

How opaque is the wine? Can you read text through the wine or is it so dark that you can barely see light through it. The opacity of a wine can tell you what kind of grape was used to make the wine and it can also tell you the age of a wine. An opaque wine can also be unfiltered and will look hazy (i.e. more opaque). This type of style is common in Italian wines where the winemaker intentionally doesn’t filter the wine in order to maintain rich textures and more dynamic flavor in the wine.

Color

The main color of the wine is toward the center. Again, the value of the color can tell you how old the wine is. Commercial and value driven wines tend to lose their color pigmentation much more quickly (2-4 years) whereas a wine that is designed to age takes 10-14 years to start changing color. Wines that take a long time to change color also take a long time to develop and taste better after years stored in a cellar.

Secondary Colors

These are the other hints and hues of color in a glass. In white wines there are hints of green or straw. In red wines there can be hints of orange, brown, magenta or brick. The secondary colors are typically found in the rim of the wine as it goes towards the edge of the glass.

Rim Variation

A wide rim variation in a wine can indicate an older wine, whereas a very tight rim variation can show you a very young wine. TIP: A slight blue tinge on the rim of a red wine indicates higher acidity.