Wine 101 - Appearance of Wine

Let's start with the simplest among the three elements for wine tasting - the appearance. It plays a less significant role in the enjoyment because it actually got no influence on the flavor. But for a wine taster, the color can give clue to the vintage, grape variety, intensity of flavor, method of production, and maturity.

White wines are often described as pale or light color, since the grape juice usually has no skin contact during vinification. But in fact the color can range from pale green to golden yellow. Red wine contains on average ten times more color compounds than white. Tannin also plays a role in stabilizing the color so in general wines rich in tannin tend to be deeper in color. Thick-skinned grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz normally give deeper color than thin-skinned ones. But if the vineyard has been using optimal conditions in the planting, even a thin-skinned variety can produce wines with deep color. In the winery, the extraction of color is largely dependent on the time and temperature the grape juice remains in contact with the skins.

When we need to evaluate the color of a wine, it is important to do it properly. Under different lighting or background the same wine may look completely different in color. To ensure consistency, as a result, it is necessary to have the good lighting, preferably as natural as possible. If cannot be done with daylight, daylight flourescent strip-lighting is the best alternative. The wine should also be looked at using a sheet of plain white paper as background. We will be looking at the core of the wine, by tilting the glass around 45 degree. The rims will naturally look paler and also can provide ideas about the age of the wine.

For WSET level 4, we are required to write tasting note with the following focus on appearance:

a. Clarity

b. Intensity

c. Color

d. Other observations (legs/tears, deposit, tints/highlights)

Next time when you do your own tasting or reading my tasting note, hope you can also have a deeper appreciation on the appearance!