What makes a wine color? A wine producer answers

Along with the baguette, wine is surely the most internationally recognized French symbol when it comes to the table. According tothe Comité national des interprofessions des vins à appellation d'origine et d'indication géographique (CNIV), in2019, France exported €13 billion worth of wine and brandy, making it the leading exporter by value. The industry offers winegrowers, cooperatives, oenologists and so many other professions an immense playground. Almost half a million people make their living directly or indirectly from the world of wine. Between age-old know-how and innovation, the world of wine is constantly evolving.

How do you explain the nuances of color between different wines?

There is a wide range of wine colors. The best-known are, of course, red, white and rosé. But we mustn't forget yellow, orange or even gray wines, which reflect the considerable colorimetric complexity of this beverage. In concrete terms, wine color depends on four main parameters:

• the type of grape
• harvesting method
• its vinification method
• storage

The first variable affecting wine color is the grape or varietal used. "Some grape varieties have thicker skins, or smaller berries. The ratio between skin and liquid will therefore increase. Pinot Noir, for example, often produces wines with little color, unlike Syrah, which produces more colorful wines," explains Antoine Sfeir, co-founder of Pif-à-Papa.

Secondly, the timing of the harvest influences the color of the wine. We sometimes speak of a late harvest. Less ripe grapes tend to give less color," adds the wine producer in the Paris region.

Vinification is surely the variable that plays the biggest role in the color of the liquid. This term refers to the process of transforming fruit into wine, in other words, how we go from grape to alcoholic beverage. " What makes the main difference between white and red wine is the use of the pellicle, the skin of the fruit, in the process", says Antoine Sfeir. The differences in hue are due to several stages. Firstly, its extraction: "The lower the pressure and the longer the pressing, the less the deepest components of the grape skin are pressed, and the less color is extracted", he explains. In addition, the length of maceration, i.e. the time the must remains in contact with the pomace, has an effect on hue.

Last but not least, the way the wine is stored can affect the color of liquids. A Burgundy Pinot Noir often goes from a light, almost ruby red to an orange or even tawny-brown hue over time. It should be noted, however, that color does not necessarily play a role in taste. In fact, it can be a cognitive bias, giving the impression that a lighter wine is lighter, which is not necessarily the case.