Eyeballing your wine
As my aging eyes struggle to read what I am writing, it seems only appropriate to turn my attention to what you can tell about a wine, just from looking at it.
Different grape varieties, different wine making techniques, even different growing regions, all have an effect on the color of a wine.
White wines range from clear to a dark brown color. Red wines can be bright red, or have various amounts of a blue hue, and as they age they too head towards the brown shades.
The browning of wine is due to oxidation, the same mechanism that turns an apple brown after you bite into or cut into it, and leave it sitting out.
Therefore a browning color in wine is a good indication of oxidation (the wine term is maderization).
This contact with oxygen is sometimes purposeful, such as in the case of Sherry or Madeira (hence the term) where it adds a wonderful nutty flavor component.
In other wines, especially when it is only present in moderation, the wine may have been badly stored, or even badly made. In these wines, the flavor is a less desirable caramel quality and a lack of varietal character.
Old wines all tend towards maderization, eventually. Good storage, and cork management (replacing old corks) can slow down the process to a crawl.
The golden color of many Chardonnays and dessert wines, actually comes from oak aging. While there is a small amount of oxygen contact in the process, it is not enough to spoil the wines.
Red wines have a broader range of color.
Wines made in the style of a simple Beaujolais have such a bright color, I have been known to call it "nuclear red."
Most young red wines have some hint of blue. Some, notably Syrah, have much more than a hint of blue.
As all red wines age they lose color. The intensity of the color is reduced, and any blue hues are lost. A well aged red wine is often said to be "bricky."
Port that has been aged in wood turns from a dark purple color to a tawny brown with time. This is a better color in port than in a dry red wine.
It is this plethora of visual clues that wine tasters are looking for as they peer through their wine. With practice one can determine the grape, and maybe even the origin of a wine, just on sight.
This is why there is a new trend of tasting in black glasses, that completely hide any and all visual clues. Without the benefit of the bias that looking at a wine can yield, it is a much more humbling, if not accurate, exercise.
A least, I imagine it would be. I have conducted similar tastings, including sitting in a darkened room, but I have not had a chance to try the black glass experience yet. Should I get my hands on a some, I will be sure to report my impressions here.
Different grape varieties, different wine making techniques, even different growing regions, all have an effect on the color of a wine.
White wines range from clear to a dark brown color. Red wines can be bright red, or have various amounts of a blue hue, and as they age they too head towards the brown shades.
The browning of wine is due to oxidation, the same mechanism that turns an apple brown after you bite into or cut into it, and leave it sitting out.
Therefore a browning color in wine is a good indication of oxidation (the wine term is maderization).
This contact with oxygen is sometimes purposeful, such as in the case of Sherry or Madeira (hence the term) where it adds a wonderful nutty flavor component.
In other wines, especially when it is only present in moderation, the wine may have been badly stored, or even badly made. In these wines, the flavor is a less desirable caramel quality and a lack of varietal character.
Old wines all tend towards maderization, eventually. Good storage, and cork management (replacing old corks) can slow down the process to a crawl.
The golden color of many Chardonnays and dessert wines, actually comes from oak aging. While there is a small amount of oxygen contact in the process, it is not enough to spoil the wines.
Red wines have a broader range of color.
Wines made in the style of a simple Beaujolais have such a bright color, I have been known to call it "nuclear red."
Most young red wines have some hint of blue. Some, notably Syrah, have much more than a hint of blue.
As all red wines age they lose color. The intensity of the color is reduced, and any blue hues are lost. A well aged red wine is often said to be "bricky."
Port that has been aged in wood turns from a dark purple color to a tawny brown with time. This is a better color in port than in a dry red wine.
It is this plethora of visual clues that wine tasters are looking for as they peer through their wine. With practice one can determine the grape, and maybe even the origin of a wine, just on sight.
This is why there is a new trend of tasting in black glasses, that completely hide any and all visual clues. Without the benefit of the bias that looking at a wine can yield, it is a much more humbling, if not accurate, exercise.
A least, I imagine it would be. I have conducted similar tastings, including sitting in a darkened room, but I have not had a chance to try the black glass experience yet. Should I get my hands on a some, I will be sure to report my impressions here.
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