Did you know that color tells you a lot about the wine you are drinking!
How to look at wine? Tilt the glass away from you against a white background or surface, looking at the belly of the liquid all the way out to the rim to best assess the color.
How about this for a fact…
As white wines age, they become darker, eventually turning brown.
And reds age, they become more pale, eventually shedding their color as sediment.
Also remember, the origin of a grape can even show up in a glass!
The cooler the climate the grapes are grown in, both whites and reds, the lighter the color of the body of the wine. Often times here we’re talking about wines with a higher acid content and less grape sugar, therefore producing wines that are lower in alcohol content.
The warmer the climate the grapes are grown in, both whites and reds, the deeper the color (which explains the inky hues of so many New World reds), generally producing more grape sugars and less acid, eventually producing wines that could contain more alcohol content.
George Hendry of Hendry Ranch Vineyards squeezing the juice out of a Zinfandel grape on to his finger.
What about the grape skin?
The pigments are in the skin!
Most wine grapes have colorless flesh and juice.
Thicker skinned varietals like Cabernet, Syrah and Petite Verdot produce darker colored wines.
Grape varietals such as Gamay, Pinot Noir & (sometimes) Sangiovese can have lighter colored skins, producing lighter color wines.
Obviously then you can start to match these ideas with detecting the weight of the wine! Lighter colored wines – Pinot Noir & Gamay – lighter bodied. Darker colored wines – Cabernet & Syrah – fuller bodied.
The same can also be said for white grapes, too. For example, Pinot Grigio, lighter in color and weight. Looking for a fuller bodied white? Reach for a grape like Chardonnay, a bit darker in the color of the body and mouth overall.
And thus begins the discussion of food and wine pairing. Pairing weights of grapes/wines to food, so on and so forth.
Want more #winetips? Stay tuned!
Comments 2
Is that really a 1995 Vina Tondonia rose? when is that photo from? when did you drink it?
p.
It is, Paul!
I shared it with our bestie, Julie Johnson, last summer before she moved back to DC. It was delightful!
And…I have one more bottle left in my cellar.
Yum!
Leslee
Comments 2
Is that really a 1995 Vina Tondonia rose? when is that photo from? when did you drink it?
p.
It is, Paul!
I shared it with our bestie, Julie Johnson, last summer before she moved back to DC. It was delightful!
And…I have one more bottle left in my cellar.
Yum!
Leslee