Differences Between Red & White Winemaking.

Now that I’m in Somm school, I’m gonna start sharing everything I learn so all my Pourstyles followers can talk like Sommelier’s next time you’re out and about at the wine bar. OK! Let’s nerd out. What are the main differences between red and white winemaking?

Obviously, red wine is red and white wine is white. Duh! Why is this? You can use red grapes to make white wine. Weird, right? Let’s break it down!

There’s a lot of different reasons that go into this but the main and most important reason is skin contact. You use grape skins to make red wine, (which is also what gives big reds more tannins aka: mouth feel) while white wine has little to no contact with the skins. For white wine, the grapes are crushed before they are pressed to separate the juice before fermentation. After this they typically go into stainless steel tanks. If you are making a Chardonnay, however, you will use oak barrels to give that vanilla and toast flavor profile. White wines are typically aged for way less time than a red, around 2 to 4 weeks. Another big difference in red and white winemaking styles is the fermentation process. White wines are fermented at a much lower temp than reds. (12*C-22*C vs. 20*C-32*C). This is to protect the delicate fruit aroma’s of a white wine.

As for red wine, the grapes are crushed and then the juice and skins are added to the fermenting tank together. The amount of color and tannin is completely dependent on how long the juice is in contact with the skins. This may be for as long at 2 weeks for a rich wine like Bordeaux, or as little as 5 days for a lighter wine like Beaujolais. Hot climates also encourage higher color and tannin levels in red wine.

Now, what about Rosé? Rosé is fermented the same way as a white wine – lower temperatures and shorter fermentation times – but they are kept in contact with the skins. Hence, why it’s pink!

What about alcohol? What makes grape juice into sweet, delicious alcohol? Fermentation! When yeast feeds on the sugars in grapes, they produce alcohol. Woo, science! Carbon Dioxide and heat change the flavors of grape juice into wine.

What about oak? Wine can either be fermented in stainless steel or oak barrels. When wine comes in contact with oak, it gives the wine that vanilla, toast, and baking spices flavor. Oak barrels are used to make Chardonnay as well as several premium reds. If you want to get real intense with it, you can talk about the differences with American and French oak. American oak gives more of a coconut flavor with harsher tannins while French is going to give more of the nutty flavor with smoother tannins. French oak is also way more expensive than American and once  you start drinking a lot of Chardonnay, you can taste the difference. Another bonus of maturing wine in oak? Oxidation! Tiny little holes in oak allow oxygen to enter giving the wine time to smooth out those harsh tannins within intense, complex wines. You know what else oxidizes wine? Corks. But that’s a whole other article to delve into. Of course, with a young Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir, you don’t want to give it time to oxidize. It can completely alter it’s delicate taste and light body. Oxidation is for adding flavors in wine that can become bitter. Actually, if you oxidize a wine that is meant to be drunk young for too long you will get notes of wet leaves and mushrooms, which is nasty. Once you start advancing your palate with lots of premium wines, the difference is uncanny.

So there you have it! It’s not just rolling up your pants and dancing in a vat of grape juice barefoot. The winemaking process is intense and gives you (or at least me) immense appreciation for selecting a certain varietal.

Thanks for needing out with me! Now, go spit some wine snob knowledge on all your wino friends. Cheers!