All curious people and wine lovers will have wondered at least once how wine is made and what happens after the harvest: red, white, rosé, orange, what are the factors that determine the colour of a wine? Contrary to what one might think, the colour of wine does not depend on the grapes of the original vine, whether they are black or white.

What does the colour of wine depend on?

Why can a wine be red, white, rosé or orange? If you look at the flesh of the grapes, you can see that it is colourless: what gives the wine its colour are the substances contained in the grape skins, the terroir of origin, the winemaking techniques and whether or not the wine has undergone ageing and refining.

The colouring substances contained in grape skins

Grape varieties can be black, white and pink, with the exception of Pinot Grigio, the only grey grape variety. But what determines the colouring of the grape skins? The culprits are certain substances called polyphenols, which in turn are subdivided into anthocyanins (for blue and red tones) and flavones (responsible for green and yellow colouring). The combination of these substances and the degree of ripeness of the grape will determine the colour of the grape berries, which in some varieties, such as Cabernet or Syrah, may be more tinged than in other varieties.

Winemaking techniques: maceration

Having understood the substances responsible for the colouring of the grapes and having established that the pulp of the grapes is colourless, how do we then obtain white, red, rosé or orange wines? Through maceration, i.e. the contact of the must, the liquid product obtained from an initial pressing of the grapes, with the marc, i.e. the solid parts such as skins and seeds. The longer the must and marc remain in contact, the more the skins will transfer their colouring agents to the wine, determining its colour and colour intensity. Therefore, white wines can also be made from dark grapes by separating the skins immediately without maceration.

What other factors determine the colour of wine?

There are other factors, both human and environmental, that determine the final colour of wine. In the production processes of some wines, they undergo ageing and refinement, first in wooden barrels or other materials and then in bottles for a variable period. The porosity of the wood and the slight oxidation that occurs with the passage of oxygen gives the wine tertiary aromas and colouring that it would not otherwise develop, making red wines, for example, garnet red. The growing areas of the vines and their climate also influence the colour of the wine: in warmer areas such as those in southern Italy, wines take on a more impenetrable colour.

Red wine vinification and the colour nuances of red wines

How is red wine made? Red wine-making processes involve macerating dark grapes for 6 to 10 days, during which time the wine absorbs and develops its colour, structure and tannicity. The colour nuances of the wines say a lot about the age and quality of the final products: there are purple-red wines for those that are drinkable and young, ruby red characterises red wines of medium structure and refinement. As already mentioned, garnet red is characteristic of wines subjected to long ageing, while an orangey red wine could indicate that the quality of the wine is impaired.

White vinification: from straw yellow to golden

The vinification processes for white wines, whether made from light or dark grapes, do not involve contact of the must with the skins: maceration in this case does not take place but draining, i.e. separation from the solid parts, is carried out immediately. White wines are also characterised by different colour nuances: from straw yellow for young wines, through golden yellow for white wines that have undergone ageing to the amber yellow that distinguishes wines such as passiti or those obtained from late harvesting.

Rosé and orange wines: how do they come about and what intensity can they be?

Rosé wines are obtained from black grapes, the maceration of which is short and limited: the contact of the must with the skins lasts as long as is necessary for the pink colour to take on. For cuvée sparkling wines, the rosé colour can also be obtained by blending a red wine with a white one, a practice that is illegal for most DOC still wines.

Depending on the maceration time and the colouring power of the grape variety in question, one can obtain soft pink wines where maceration was short, or claret pink in the case of longer maceration. The most widespread rosé wines are generally Cerasuolo pink, as in the case of Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Rosé DOC 2021.

What about orange wines? They are obtained from the vinification of white grapes as if they were reds: the more or less prolonged maceration will result in amber, intense yellow-orange or orange hues with golden highlights. An example of an orange wine? The 'Minù' Salento Orange Macerato IGP 2021, perfect for those who want to try something out of the box.

Now that you know all about wine colours and their nuances, you will be able to appreciate wines more in all stages of tasting, even the visual one! Start tasting wines like an expert now with Svinando!