02/09/05 Wine color

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran. On today's program, we are going to explore what the color of a wine can tell you about itself, even before you taste it! When examining a glass of wine, prior to drinking it, we often notice the clarity of a wine. This may or may not, be an indication of the wine's quality. Some winemakers elect not to fine or filter their wine and it may have a somewhat cloudy appearance even though it is of high quality. Looking at the viscosity or the thickness of the wine will give you an indication of the body. Thicker more viscous wines are fuller bodied. Deeper colors in white wines may indicate oak aging, a combination of grape varietals in the blend or simply that the wine is in fact older. White wines tend to deepen in color as they age. In the case of red wines, which come in many shades of red from light almost transparent colors to deep dark ruby and blue purples, the color is often an indicator of flavor intensity and of the varietal style. For example a light color Beaujolais is less concentrated, crisp and less tannic. Whereas a dark inky color of wine is most likely going to be big full and fairly tannic. The more purple blue and bright red the wine is will indicate that it is in a youthful stage of its life. As it ages it may loose some of the purple tint begin turning more red and eventually the red with turn to gold amber or brick indicating it is in a much more mature stage of it life. So take a good hard look at your wine. And thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.