Both red and white wine grapes start out green and as flowers. During ripening, white wine grapes may turn golden or pinkish, while red wine grapes become darker. The color of wine is decided during fermentation, with red wine fermented with the skins and white wine separated from the skins. Rosé wines have a light pink color from short skin contact during fermentation or blending of red and white wines.
Contrary to popular belief, red wine grapes are not red throughout the growing season. Both red wine and white wine grapes are green when they begin to form. In fact, like all fruits, white and red wine grapes start out as flowers. The first stage of grape growth is bud burst – this is when a small green growth appears on the vine of the grape plant in spring. The bursting bud develops leaves and a collection of flowers called an inflorescence. The flowers bloom small and white, and as they are fertilized, they begin to develop into grapes. At this point the natural sugars and pigmentations in the skin have not yet formed.
It is during the ripening of the white and red wine grapes that the sugars and colors are gradually expressed. When white wine grapes ripen, they can take on a golden color or, in the case of the Gewürztraminer wine grape, a pinkish hue. They may develop brown specks or spots on the skin, or they may retain the bright green color of their youth. Some white wine grapes, such as pinot gris/gris grapes, develop a light reddish-purple hue like a red wine grape.
True red wine grapes, while they may resemble white wine grapes during the ripening process, are distinctly darker as they ripen. They vary in color from deep red, to purple, to almost black. Many develop a dry, powdery appearance to the skin, like a film that can be peeled off to reveal the shiny skin underneath. Even in a ripe cluster of red wine grapes, there may be a handful of green grapes that failed to change color as they grew.
The various pigments that give wine grapes their colors exist in the skins. The inner fruit of the grape is slightly golden yellow, with almost no color. It is during the fermentation process that the color of the wine is decided. The crushed white wine grape juice is separated from the skins for fermentation. The juice of crushed red wine grapes, however, is fermented together with the skins, giving the red wine its color.
Rosé, white, and blush zinfandel wines have a light pink color because the skin is only left with the juice for a short time during fermentation. While this is the traditional method of making rosé wines, it is now often forgotten. Winemakers will most often blend the finished red and white wines to create a rosé wine.
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