Color of wine and metals
2006/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
Color is one of the main parameters used to measure wine quality. And it tells us the structure, body and taste of wine. The tonality of black wine can vary from bluish red to orange and this tonality depends, among other things, on iron, zinc, copper and manganese.
Specifically, the University of Navarra has analyzed the influence of metals on the color of black wine. Researchers have analyzed Tenpranillo grape wines for three consecutive years since 2002. Thus, it has been observed that these metallic components are found mainly in grape seeds. For example, iron is found in the bark of the seed and, together with copper, it decreases considerably during the first days of wine fermentation.
Likewise, they conclude that with the addition of a little iron to wine can enhance the bluish color between 8% and 30%, losing the wine the same percentage as red. From now on, will we have the opportunity to change the color of black wine a la carte?
