Piglet's Pigments

[Rebel Rose]

I encounter this attitude sometimes in our winery tasting room . . . that an old vine zinfandel with a more brick red color is somehow inferior to purple, jammy modern (high alcohol) zinfandels.

Or that a paler sangiovese or pinot noir cannot possibly be as flavorful as an almost artificially ruby-colored pinot. (Oh wait . . . California wineries can buy Ruby Red Concentrate from Madera Enterprises. Well there you have it. There's no excuse these days to produce a wine that is not Ruby colored.)

Speaking entirely in terms of grape varietals, so that we can cross the boundaries of Europe, the US, Australia, and elsewhere--are there certain varieties with a gypsy-like flexibility in color and character? Or certain varieties that are a little more hidebound to their color? Cabernets and syrahs, for instance, I expect to be very dark. Barberas, for some reason, I expect to be dark. Maybe because I've tasted a few too many overtly acidic/low in flavor California barberas.

Naturally a wine loses pigment with age, but if we're talking strictly about a varietal, bottled recently, should a wine always be "damson," and "ruby," and have "rich color"?

[SBonner]

I experience alot of the same sentiment in the restaurant trade. Customers are taken back by the bricky colour of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Chinati made in the old school traditional style. Hopefullyt as they taste more and more wine they will not equate colour with body.

Cheers,

Stephen

I do however really like those teeth staining purple black Shiraz's from the Barossa

Edited August 9, 2005 by SBonner (log)

[jsolomon]

Have you tried turning the lights WAY down low (I'm thinking like in a dark room with those wacky red filters) during a wine tasting?

You can usually pick them up off E-bay for a song, and it would be a wild thing to offer a "dark room" tasting. Heck, I'd pay $5 extra for it.

[Brad Ballinger]

The comment about nebbiolo-based wines of Barolo and Barbaresco is right on. Those wines can be packed with flavor that their color belies.

But eating food, tasting wine, etc, is a multi-sensory experience. To the extent that some people need to see something almost opaque in reds to deem a wine more superior has some basis. For me, on the other hand, I'd prefer to see the opposite.

[jsolomon]

To redact my earlier flippant remark, there have been many studies between the connection of taste, smell, and sight. One such one I recall reading nearly a decade ago involved something along the line of kool-aid, food coloring, and sugar.

The researchers were studying if hue intensity had anything to do with perceived strength of flavor. They made half-strength flavor, single-strength flavor, and double-strength flavor, and went from no color, half-color, single-strength color, and double-strength color in all of the variations of flavor.

The strongest color, regardless of strength of flavor, was always chosen as having the strongest flavor.

I believe this has some carryover into the minds of wine consumers, alas.

[Brad Ballinger]

There was also a study done a few years back where wine tasters (some of whom do it for a living) were presented with wines in black (opaque) goblets. Many mistook some whites for reds.

[tammylc]

There was also a study done a few years back where wine tasters (some of whom do it for a living) were presented with wines in black (opaque) goblets.  Many mistook some whites for reds.

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I just picked up a black glass for $2 at a yard sale for the sole purpose of trying this experiment.

Any suggestions on wines to pick for maximum confusion?

[SBonner]

There was also a study done a few years back where wine tasters (some of whom do it for a living) were presented with wines in black (opaque) goblets.  Many mistook some whites for reds.

←

I just picked up a black glass for $2 at a yard sale for the sole purpose of trying this experiment.

Any suggestions on wines to pick for maximum confusion?

←

I'm thinking Beaujolais for its acidity, soft tannins, and ripe fruit or if you can find one a Ruche from Northern Italy. I'd like to hear how your experiment goes.

Stephen

[jbonne]

just 3rding the comment about nebbiolo-based wines.

[Brad Ballinger]

There was also a study done a few years back where wine tasters (some of whom do it for a living) were presented with wines in black (opaque) goblets.  Many mistook some whites for reds.

←

I just picked up a black glass for $2 at a yard sale for the sole purpose of trying this experiment.

Any suggestions on wines to pick for maximum confusion?

←

I should've added that I believe some reds were also mistaken for whites. I'll try to find an online version of the article, if one is still around, and provide a link in a separate post in this thread.

As far as your experiment is concerned, I've had zinfandel wines that have had peach/nectarine aromas and flavors. I could see myself confusing them for whites if I couldn't see the color.