Making Wine: Differences between White Wines and Reds

 It’s easy to notice the main difference between making wine that is white  and making wine that is red, as the color. However, when making wine you should know why  white wines are amber in color, and why are reds dark ruby?

While the simplest answer responds to the grape type that you use – either white or red- did you know that white wines can also be made from red grapes?

To explain, I’ll start from the beginning.

Making Wine – Tannins & their Role in Wine Color

The reason why red wines have a crimson color, it’s not only because of the type of grape used, but also because of the tannins that are present in the resulting brew.

Tannins are the ones responsible for the reddish pigment that gives red wine its color, and they reside mainly in the skins, stems and seeds of the grape.

In white wine making, these skins, stems and seeds are separated from the grape juice at the time of pressing, since from this process on that tannins are extracted into the juice, and wine to be.

You may also have noticed that all red wines vary in color intensity. This is because the vibrancy of the resulting color depends on how long the skins, stems and seeds have been in contact with the fermenting juice.

Tannins offer pigmentation, heaviness and complexity to wines. Because of this, red wines tend to be spicier, warmer and dryer, with a round body and noticeable sedimentation. Whites, in contrast, are light, fresh, fruity and crisp, with little or no sedimentation.

Making Wine – Fermentation & Ageing of White Wines

Another difference in making wine as a white is the process of fermentation and ageing. White wines are fermented at cooler temperatures, and generally for extended periods of time.

Since it’s tannins that offer wine most of its body and complexity, winemakers use cool temperatures to slow down fermentation, allow the wine to undergo this process for a longer period of time, and take full advantage of the little amount of tannins that are present in the wine. A slow, but prolonged fermentation helps white wines develop complexity and body that would otherwise be impossible to achieve without a significant amount of color-changing tannins.

Oak barrels also aid in the release of tannins into the wine, intensifying the color and providing a dry characteristic to the resulting brew. Because of this, most red wines are aged in oak barrels, or using oak chips.

In white wine making, on the other hand, white wines generally aged in stainless steel vats, which allow for easier temperature control in cooler fermentation temperatures, without affecting the tannin levels in the wine.

Moreover, you will find that white wines that offer dry characteristics – such as Chardonnays – have been aged in oak barrels or in stainless steel vats with oak chips.

Because of the lack of tannins in white wines the ageing process, on the other hand, is very brief. Extended ageing of wines should only be applied to reds since ageing endorses the interaction of tannins in the resulting wine, providing it with a round, full body, deep flavors and high complexity.

Since white wines are not meant to develop most of these characteristics, ageing is only done for 12 months, or so, before consumption.