RELATIONSHIPS
From black grapes, both red and white wines can be made.
Divided by handling of skins
Red wine
Extracting color and tannin from the skins.
White base wine
Suppress color extraction during pressing. In some cases, the process continues to bottle fermentation (secondary fermentation in the bottle).
This is a summary of the relationships explained in the main text. For details on grape composition and production conditions, please refer to the main text and official sources. Sources and reference materials
FIELD NOTE 01
Reds for reading site differences
In Burgundy, you can compare Pinot Noir from different villages and climats. Even with the variety kept constant, harvest year, vineyard, and producer can all vary at the same time.
It’s easier to explain differences when you fix variables, such as keeping the producer constant and comparing between vintages.
FIELD NOTE 02
Black skins, pale juice
In red wine, color and tannins are extracted through contact with the skins. For white Champagne, extraction of color is minimized during pressing to create a white base wine from black grapes.
The fact that grapes have black skins does not always mean the finished wine will be red.
FIELD NOTE 03
To Italian Pinot Nero
Pinot Nero is the Italian term. If you know about bottle-fermented sparkling wines like Franciacorta, you can connect your understanding of grape varieties and techniques to learning about France.
Even when sharing the same grape variety and winemaking method, climate, area, blending, and maturation regulations differ by appellation.
FIELD NOTE 04
Adjusting extraction from the skins through production steps
Red wine color and tannin both increase as components move from skins and seeds into the liquid. The amount extracted varies by material, so simply prolonging contact time will not always produce the desired texture. The AWRI uses measurement of extractable tannins as one criterion for determining maceration duration.
For white Champagne, juice is extracted by minimizing pigment extraction during pressing. For both, where and for how long skins contact the juice distinguishes red from white winemaking. Connecting varietal names with processing steps helps explain how white wines can be made from black grapes.
Basis for this section:AWRI｜Measurement of extractable tannins and winemaking decisions ↗ ／ Champagne Committee | Grape varieties, methods, and labeling FAQ ↗
Also possible for white: by pressing without extracting much color from the skins, even black grapes can be used to produce a white base wine, as in Champagne.
PAUSE & REFLECT
Check your understanding.
If a wine uses Pinot Noir, is it always red or rosé?
Read the explanation ＋
Also possible for white: by pressing without extracting much color from the skins, even black grapes can be used to produce a white base wine, as in Champagne.
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View saved notes →Courses related to this question
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Sources and reference materials
These are the reference materials for the main text. For details of production regulations, consult the current documents. For individual wine specifications, refer to materials for the relevant vintage.
- BIVB | Overview of Burgundy (PDF) ↗
- Champagne Committee | Grape varieties, methods, and labeling FAQ ↗
- AWRI｜Measurement of extractable tannins and winemaking decisions ↗