The Many Shades of “Red” Wine

When red wine is poured into a glass, the color observed will tell lots about the grapes that produced it, the years since the fruit was harvested as well as what a taster might expect on the palate long before the first sip is taken.

The “reds” of red wines are certainly not uniform in their coloration. These variations come from many sources: the grape variety is the most obvious differentiation. Growing conditions vary from season to season. Our location on the globe is another factor. A winemakers’ cellar techniques are another variable and the length of time the liquid has been in the bottle is important.

Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is darker than Cabernet Franc; Syrah grapes are much darker than Chambourcin. There is a hybrid red blender called Colobel which is almost black, When these grapes are pressed, the juice that results begin the demarcation. The range of shades is immense and the descriptors sound as though they might have come from a Crayola crayon box: almost black, deep purple, rich garnet, ruby red, dark violet, maroon to rosy pink.

Mother Nature also plays a significant role, especially here where our growing seasons vary so dramatically, and since we grow cool-climate varietals. During long hot growing seasons, local vintners produce elegant, fruit-forward Cabernet Francs. But when summer is damp, cold, and has less than average sunshine, the same vineyard will yield grapes more suited to a Cabernet Rose’ than a deeper red variety.

Geography is important. While we can create lovely reds in our region, especially using varietals like Pinot Noir and the French American hybrid, Chambourcin, our latitude and general climatic conditions do not allow for the production of “Napa-floor” or “Bordeaux” deep and complex Cabernet Sauvignons, even in the most favorable seasons. Most of our Cabs are very pleasant, often award-winning, but generally lighter-bodied with more fresh fruitiness than those produced by our friends on the West Coast or in the iconic French vineyards.

Other variations are the result of how grapes are handled in the cellar. Long exposure to crushed grape skins not only contributes rich tannins in many wines but as primary fermentation takes place with skin contact, substantial color pigments are extracted. When reds come into the cellar and are quickly pressed and transferred to tanks, the resulting wines are more of a blush style. And wines fermented in oak loose color intensity more quickly than bottle-aged ones.

The age of the wine is a significant factor: young reds will have a purplish cast while older fine wines often are described as brick red. As a general rule of thumb, most reds loos color intensity as they mature, either in the barrel or in the bottle.

Wintertime is the perfect time to explore the wide range of “reds” grown herein our corner of the world.

For additional information: dwinchell@OhioWines.org