Wine comes in a range of colors, from pale yellow to deep purple. The color of a wine provides clues about its age, grape variety, production method, and taste. Some of the most common wine colors are white, rosé, red, and purple. But is purple simply a darker shade of red wine, or does it have its own distinct color profile?
The answer is complicated and lies in the intricate chemistry of anthocyanins, the family of pigment molecules responsible for the entire spectrum of red, purple and blue hues found in nature. By exploring the factors that influence anthocyanins in wine, we can better understand the difference between red and purple wines.
What Makes Wine Red or Purple?
The color of red and purple wines comes from anthocyanin pigments naturally present in grape skins. Anthocyanins belong to a class of compounds called flavonoids, which are synthesized in the grape as protection from sun exposure and plant stresses.
Hundreds of distinct anthocyanin pigments have been identified in nature. The specific anthocyanin composition of a grape variety depends on genetics and environmental conditions. Winemaking techniques also influence anthocyanin extraction and stability.
In acidic environments like wine, anthocyanins take on a positively charged chemical structure. This allows them to react with other wine compounds like tannins and acids, increasing color intensity and stability.
So in summary, the development of red/purple pigments in wine involves:
– Anthocyanin content in the grapes
– Extraction during winemaking
– Reactions during wine aging that enhance color
The diversity of anthocyanins and their changes over time create a spectrum of red-to-purple hues in finished wines.
Factors Influencing Red vs. Purple Hue
Within the range of wine color, what factors make a wine appear more pure purple versus red? Here are some key influences on the hue:
– Grape Variety – Some grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo tend to produce wines with more red undertones, while grapes like Malbec, Petit Verdot and Tannat lean towards deeper purple shades.
– Vineyard Conditions – Cooler climate growing conditions promote the development of more stable, purple-hued pigments in grapes. Warmer, sunnier climates tend to shift wines towards more brick red hues.
– Winemaking Techniques – Methods that increase anthocyanin and tannin extraction, like extended maceration and fermentation with stems/seeds, can amplify purple notes. Higher fermentation temperatures also promote purple hues.
– Oak Aging – Time in oak can cause subtle shifts from purple to more red brick shades. This is due to chemical changes in anthocyanin-tannin polymers over time.
– Blending – Blending in small amounts of high purple-tone varieties like Malbec or Petit Verdot can ramp up the purple profile versus other red grapes.
So in short, cooler climate grapes, riper fruit, and certain winemaking techniques favor development of a purple-dominant color profile in red wines. While there are always exceptions, these influences tend to enhance purple shades versus red.
The Purple Spectrum in Wine
Purple is an inherently diverse color, encompassing a spectrum from light lavender to deep indigo and blackberry hues. Within the range of purple wine, we can observe shades like:
– Vivid purple – Deep, intense and bright like concord grape juice. Found in young Petit Verdot or Malbec wines.
– Ruby purple – Livelier and more red-toned, with a distinctly purple cast. Typical of many Merlot and Grenache wines.
– Blueish purple – Hints of a dark bluish tint amid deep purple. More common in Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc wines, especially from cooler climate regions.
– Inky purple – Extremely dark yet still translucent, with purple highlights. Found in the deepest hued Malbec, Touriga Nacional or Aglianico wines after long maceration.
– Black-purple – Opaque, dense black hue with just a subtle purple rim. Very dark Petit Verdot or Tannat wines may reach this intensity.
So purple wine is not defined by a single color specification, but rather encompasses a spectrum of purple tones running from moderately deep red-purples to opaque black-purples.
Key Differences Between Red and Purple Wine
Given the overlap between purple and red, what characteristics definitively set purple wines apart?
– Intensity – While red wines can display a wide range of depths, purple wines hit at the far end of the intensity scale. They combine extremely deep coloration with a vivid brilliance.
– Hue – Purple wines tilt towards cooler, bluer undertones in their coloring versus the warmer brick red hues in lighter red wines. They exhibit a true mix of red and blue pigments.
– Clarity – Purples maintain their vivid transparency – unlike black wines where density fully blocks light, the deepest purples still glow with color.
– Reflectance – Purple wines have a unique sheen, reflecting back red and blue undertones simultaneously. This sets them apart from cooler red hues.
– Youth – Purple color peaks in young wines then gradually gives way to more mellowed red tones. Only the highest quality purples have potential to retain vibrancy with age.
In summary, vivid intensity, blue/red undertones, translucency, reflectance, and expression in youth are hallmarks of purple wine that distinguish it from typical red hues.
Examples of Purple Grapes and Wines
Some examples of grapes and wines that prominently display purple shades:
– Grapes: Petit Verdot, Malbec, Lagrein, Concord, Rubired, Touriga Nacional, Tannat
– Regions: Mendoza Malbec (Argentina), Madiran & Cahors (France), Valpolicella (Italy), Ribera del Duero (Spain), high-altitude Napa Cabernets (California)
– Wine styles: Big, concentrated New World Malbecs, inky Amarone (Italy), vibrant young Petit Verdot, deeply extracted Cabernets
– Wine descriptors: vivid purple, blueberry, blackberry, inky, opaque, dense
So examples span grapes genetically prone to purple hues, cool climate regions that maximize color, winemaking practices that enrich color, and descriptive terms that denote purple character.
Conclusion
In the spectrum of wine color, purple occupies a distinct niche combining deep, vivid intensity with blueish undertones and reflectance. True purple wines achieve this through grape genetics, climate conditions, and winemaking practices that promote exceptional anthocyanin extraction and stabilization. The result is youthful wines with vivid purple brilliance ranging from ruby-tinged to opaque black-purple. While purple shares many overlap hues with red wine, at its peak it achieves a uniqueness of color befitting its royal name.
