Red, white, rosé: how does winemaking influence color?

Red, white, rosé: how does winemaking influence wine color and texture ?

Behind the nuances of a wine's color and mouthfeel lies a decisive process: winemaking. This generic term covers all the operations that transform grapes into wine. And it is this transformation - which differs according to the desired color - that explains the Differences in texture, tannic structure, aromatic complexity and, of course, colour between a white, red or rosé wine.

Understanding these mechanisms is essential to better appreciate styles, but also for adapt their conservation in a high-performance wine cellar.

1. The grape skin, key to color and extraction

Visit pulphe majority of grape varieties, whether red or white, are colorless. It is in the skin (film) where you'll find :

• Visit anthocyanins (red pigments),

• Visit tannins (responsible for astringency),

• Some varietal aromas.

In this way, the and the way in which the skins come into contact with the juice will determine the color and the wine structure.

2. White wine vinification: speed and purity

Main steps :

• Direct pressing of grapes (white or red with white juice),

• Immediate skin removal,

• Fermentation of clear juice.

White wine does not macerate not with skins, which results in a wine:

• Light tannins,

• More acidic and fresh on the palate,

• Limpid with a pale yellow to golden color.

Some white wines may be aged on lees or in barrels, bringing out their full body roundness and buttery or toasted notes, but their structure will always be lighter than that of a red.

3. Red wine vinification: prolonged maceration

Main steps :

• Destemming (or not),

• Crushing of berries,

• Fermentative maceration (juice + skins + sometimes stalks),

• Pressing after fermentation.

Visit maceration time (7 to 30 days) conditions :

• Color intensity (from light ruby to dark purple),

• Tannic charge (structure in the mouth),

• Aromatic extraction (black fruits, spices, leather...).

The reds of long maceration and/or barrel-aged wines can age for several decades in the cellar, unlike light reds.

4. Rosé winemaking: between two worlds

Rosé wine is made from red grapes, but its vinification differs in :

• A very short maceration (a few hours),

• Or a direct pressing, like a white man.

Result:

• Pale to deep color, depending on the method,

• Very low tannin content,

• Aromas of red berries, citrus, sometimes floral.

Visit fragility of rosés makes them sensitive to oxidation: their short cellar life (1 to 2 years max), under stable, light-free conditions.

5. Special cases: blanc de noirs, vin orange, saignée

• Blanc de noirs white wine made from immediately pressed black grapes (e.g. Champagne Pinot Noir).

• Orange wine white wine vinified like a red (maceration on skins), hence its amber color and tannic texture.

• Rosé de saignée a rosé obtained by removing some of the juice from a vat of red wine, often more concentrated than a pressed rosé.

These intermediate methods illustrate the extent to which winemaking shapes the wine's identity beyond grape variety or terroir.

6. What's the link with conservation ?

Conclusion

The color of a wine is much more than a matter of grape variety: it's the fruit of a combination of precise winemaking choices, which determines its sensory profile and longevity. Knowing these differences not only allows you to taste better, but also toadapt conservation for each type of wine.