We all see white wine and red wine on a menu at just about every restaurant we go to these days. And it’s hard enough remembering if we like pinot gris or pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon or sauvignon blanc – which is the red and which is the white? Then you go to the store to purchase a bottle of wine there can be even more choices – more colors and varietals.
Let’s start with the basics – wine grapes come in two colors: green and black (which we know as red). Since the pulp of most grapes is generally transparent, the wine takes it color from the grape’s skin.
The main colors of wine are:
- White wine, made from white grapes with no skins in production
- Gray wine, as in vin gris or blanc de noirs, made from red grapes but very little time with the skins
- Vino Verde, literal translation of green wine
- Orange wine, made from white grapes that has spent some time in contact with its skin, giving it a slightly darker hue
- Rosé is made from red grapes with little time with the skin of the grape (slightly longer than grey wines)
- Red wine, made from red grapes with the skins, and the color can range from a light red to almost bluish violet
- Tawny, as in tawny port. These red wines are aged with the skin in wooden barrels and the oxidation during fermentation leads to the golden-brown color.
The Vinhos Verdes are light and fresh and have a slight amount of fizz on the finish, but are not considered semi-sparkling. Due to its natural acidity it is “fresh”, with fruity and floral aromas that depend on the grape variety, and while they can be red or rose, most Vinho Verdes are white. The white wines are lemon- or straw-coloured and around 8.5 to 11% alcohol. Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC for the production of wine. The name means “green wine,” but translates as “young wine”, with wine being released three to six months after the grapes are harvested. Drink up!
Orange wine is mashed up white grapes that ferment with the skins and seeds (the seeds give the color). It is a natural process that uses little or no additives and so they can taste very different from traditional white wines and may even be considered robust, bold, sour or nutty. They hit the palate as big and dry and have tannins like red wines. From those I know who are in the know – you either love ‘em or not, little middle ground.
If only extra: National Orange Wine Day is celebrated annually on October 6th.
If only bonus: Are you saying to yourself that I have heard of orange wine – called “pruno” or “hooch”, but more technically known as “prison wine”? Isn’t that orange wine? Slight distinction – prison wine is made from oranges, not grapes. This entry is about wine made from grapes.
But this must be addressed as tonight I was at a highway bar (the adjective is definitely sketchy) and sat next to a guy who served 6 years in prison. We had a lovely conversation in which I asked him every question I could think of once I learned this. And the best part – he answered all of them! So, I asked about pruno and he had no idea what I was talking about. When I said prison wine he informed me it was known as hooch and he had had a lot of it. I asked if they made it in the toilet. This apparently is also urban legend as they made it in a foot locker; described as a plastic bin with a locking lid closure. On orange day in prison all the prisoners would collect their oranges and bring them to the wine locker. The recipe is 150 oranges, sugar and yeast. I’m sure there is more nuance than that, but that was all I got while having one cocktail at the sketch bar. An interesting detail was you put the whole orange in – rind and all, but they need to be cut up. Since they only have plastic wear, this was the actual challenge. Who’d a thunk?