Red wine is not made from red grapes, as one might initially think, but from blue grapes. If you press the juice from a grape, it is always light, regardless of the color of the grape. The red color does not come from the actual flesh of the grapes, but from the skin of the berries. Therefore, the juice and the skin of the berries must be allowed to ferment together so that the color is transferred to the juice. This mixture of juice and the crushed berries is called mash. In order to better differentiate red wine, it can be divided into 4 categories:

This method is almost the same as the production of white wine. The blue red wine grapes are pressed directly and fermented without the skin. Since the juice of the grape contains hardly any color pigments, the result is a very light pink. The skin also contains the most intense aromas and tannins, which is why this process can be used to create a very light summer wine. 

This method is the most common method used by winemakers. Rosé wine is produced in a similar way to red wine. The only difference is that the mash (the mixture of juice and grape skin) is only left to stand for a few hours. This means that only a few pigments can pass into the must and a light red color is obtained. For this reason, the wines taste much fresher and fruitier than red wines and are also less tannic.

In this process, rosé and red wine are produced at the same time. As with maceration, the red wine grapes are lightly crushed so that the light juice can escape and what is known as bleeding (sanguis) occurs. However, the skins are not removed afterwards; instead, after a few hours, around 20-30% of the rosé-colored must is drawn off and vinified in a separate tank. For this reason, a higher proportion of skins per juice remains in the mash fermentation tank, which results in a stronger red wine. The drawn juice is then processed into rosé wine, which is darker and more flavorful than other types of rosé wine.

1. The color of the grape has nothing to do with the color of the grape juice. Whether the wine is ultimately white or red depends only on whether the grape skin (which contains the color pigments) ferments together with the grape juice or not. A white wine can also be made from blue grapes.
2. Red wine can be divided into 4 categories: light red wines, medium-bodied red wines, heavy red wines and red wines with strong tannins. The price and the intensity of the taste increases in each category!
3. White wines can be divided into three categories: light, medium and strong white wines. As with red wines, the price and intensity of taste increase in each category. In general, however, white wines are much fresher and fruitier in taste than red wines. 
4. Rosé wines differ mainly in terms of their production. Basically, there are three different processes: direct pressing, maceration and the saigneé process. It is not possible to say which process is the best. They differ mainly in how strong the color of the rosé wine is.

As you can see, not all wine is the same. There is a huge variety, which is definitely worth exploring in more detail! If you want to delve deeper into the world of wine, then take a look at our tasting offers !