CHEMISTRY OF WINE COLOR

The first feeling that we perceive in a glass of wine is its visual appearance. It is precisely
the immediacy of vision that gives prime importance to your appearance. Its transparency,
gloss and especially their color are some of the most crucial attributes of quality not only
for the obvious implications for their image, but also because they are indicators of other
aspects of its aroma and sabor.1 Thus, for the color of a wine can deduct your age, your
body, your condition, and even some flaws guess we note that after the saborearlo.2
Although it seems a truism, before proceeding is necessary to define the concept decolor.
The Spanish Royal Academy of Language defines it as "the sensation produced by the
light rays that strike the visual organs and depends on the wavelength '. This definition is
incomplete because the appreciation of color strongly influences the environment around
the object and the illumination to which it is subjected. Already the great Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519) claimed that color was the result of a complex relationship between the
observed phenomenon and the conditions of observation.
In the case of red wines, the color becomes even more important as red wine endowed
with great color are most valued
by the market.2 Given as its
importance, this article aims to
address the chemical basis of
the color of wine red, which if I
may the pun is far more
complex than it may seem at
first glance.
Figure 1 shows the absorption
spectrum of visual appearance
and three red wines of different
ages (1, 5 and 20)

In the figure it can be seen that the spectrum of young wine exhibits a maximum at 520
nm, corresponding to red, and yellow relatively important components (420 nm) and blue
(620 nm). For this reason, the wine has a deep red color with violet hues. The wine of five
years, has less red and more yellow component component, then present a red tile.
Finally, the wine of 20 years present a very small component red color and a relatively
higher yellow component. Therefore, its color is closer to brown.
This is the inevitable evolution. However, the color of red wine and its evolution over time
are determined by its chemical composition, especially its composition compounds
fenlicos.4 For this reason, we will discuss below the description of the main phenolic
compounds to study its true involvement in the color of red wine.
Phenolic compounds not tend to fall into flavonoids and flavonoid. The first family would
include phenols acids (and their derivatives) and non-flavonoid compounds estilbenos.5
not contribute directly to the color of wine is. However, they can be oxidized enzymatically
or chemically resulting yellow / brown hues. This phenomenon called browning is
responsible for the aged white wines presented shades darker than when they were
young. Also, the phenolic compounds can act as copigments flavonoids and modulating
the color of the wine through the phenomenon of co-pigmentation which will be described
later.
Flavonoids includes three large families:
Flavonoids
Anthocyanins
The flavan-3-ols
The flavonols are responsible for the yellow color of the skin of white grapes and naturally
a part of the yellow color of white wine and red wine. However, their direct participation in
the color of red wine is unimportant although they are magnificent copigments and,
therefore, can have a very positive role.
Anthocyanins (from Greek anthos, ykyanos flower, blue) are directly responsible for the
bluish-red skin of red grapes and naturally the color of red wine.
Finally, flavan-3-ols are a complex family of different isomeric forms and their polymers
catechin called proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins. The flavan-3-ols not directly
involved in wine color although they can contribute as copigments or by complex chemical
transformations in which they interact with each other and / or with anthocyanins that give
rise to new pigments. Moreover, flavan-3-ols are also largely responsible for the bitter
taste, astringency, body and ability to age the wine.
Figure 2 shows the distribution of the different phenolic compounds in grape.
As seen phenols acids are in the scratch in the skin, pulp and seeds. The flavonols are
found in the skin and are responsible for their color, yellow in white grapes. Anthocyanins

are found in the skin of red grapes and are responsible for the bluish red color in the
grapes. Finally, flavan-3-ols are in the scratch in the skin and seeds. It should be noted
that the pulp has no color, except in some varieties called sharks, and therefore the
process of winemaking influence on their color. Thus, it is possible to make white wine with
red grapes if the skins have avoided contact with must. In fact often referred to white wines
made from white grapes with French blanc de blancs term, while those made from red
grapes are called blanc de noirs. Instead, red wine only be made with red grapes and by
maceration of the must with the skins and seeds.
Thus, the white wines are made by fermenting wort Free skins and seeds, while red wine
is produced by fermenting the juice in contact with the skins and seeds to extract the
appropriate concentration of anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols. This process called
maceration can last a few hours in the case of ros wines, a few days in the case of red
wines meant to be consumed quickly or more weeks in red wines for aging.
So far we have described the anthocyanins as red pigments, but actually may have other
colors depending on the pH and also in terms of its relationship with other polyphenols.
Therefore, anthocyanins have a huge range of colors that will try to show below. 3 shows
the balance between the various chemical forms of anthocyanins function of pH.

Figure 3: anthocyanins Equilibria versus pH.

A very acidic pH, the major form is the flavylium cation, having red. The delocalization of
the positive charge is responsible for the flavylium this red color. However, when the pH of
the medium increases, the shape becomes flavylium quinone base violet and the carbinol
form is colorless. The latter reaction involves the entry of a water molecule, the release of
a proton and the nucleophilic attack of hydroxyl water, which neutralizes the charge and
causes the disappearance of the red color. Therefore flavylium hydration is responsible for
the loss of color.

Similarly, the presence of bisulfite anion from the sulfur dioxide used as an antioxidant and
antiseptic, also involves a discoloration of flavylium by a similar mechanism.
Alternatively, the carbinol can be converted into the cis and trans chalcones having a slight
yellow color. The latter transformation is strongly favored by temperatures elevadas.11
Finally, trans chalcone can be oxidized leading to phenols acids. All these reactions are
reversible with the exception of the oxidation reaction which would result in irreversible
loss of wine color. Therefore, the stability of the color of red wine is greatly compromised if
storage temperatures are high, as this is much favors the formation of chalcones and their
subsequent oxidation. According to these equilibria, red wine its usual pH between 3.5 and
3.9 should have little color and be bluish. Obviously it is not and this is due to two reasons.
The first is that the color of wine is strongly conditioned by the copigmentacin, and the
second reason is that anthocyanins may react with other molecules and cause new
pigments.
Figure 4 illustrates the mechanism of copigmentation.

Figure 4: Mechanism copigmentation.

The phenomenon of copigmentacin is based on anthocyanin molecules are flat and may
form partnerships among themselves or with other molecules, called copigments, resulting
sandwich structures. The joints between these molecules are weak type (Van der Waals,
hydrophobic interactions, ...). Within these groups a hydrophobic environment which
prevents the access of water molecules, so that no nucleophilic attack occurs is
generated. Thus the formation of hydrated basis colorless (carbinol) is reduced and the
equilibrium towards the formation of color bodies (flavylium) moves. Therefore a higher

percentage of anthocyanins than required according to the pH, contribute to color, as long
as there are in the middle suitable copigments. Can act as copigments acids phenols,
flavonoids, amino acids, nucleotides, polysaccharides, etc.
Another interesting aspect is that copigments copigmentacin not only increase the color
of wine, but they can also change their hue by or hipsocrmicos bathochromic shifts, so
the color of the wine could have different colors depending on their composition in different
copigments. Moreover, some authors postulate that copigmentacin is a prerequisite to the
formation of more stable unions step, since it facilitates the condensation of anthocyanins
with flavan-3-ols.
Finally, anthocyanins can react with other molecules and lead to new pigments with
different colors. Figure 5 shows a diagram with the possible reactions of anthocyanins and
new pigments are formed.

Figure 5: Main chemical reactions of anthocyanins.

As you can see, the possibilities are numerous. Thus, anthocyanins can join directly to the
flavan-3-ols and, thus, cause a new pigment much more stable and remain red. May also
join the flavan-3-ols with a bridge acetate generated by the reaction of flavan-3-ol with
ethanal. In this case, the new pigment would purplish color. Anthocyanins may also react

with anthocyanins etanal generating polymers linked by bridges ethyl maintain their red, or
colored form a new pigment called vitisin B, which features an orange color. Anthocyanins
can also react with pyruvic acid generating vitisin A, also orange. Vitisins both are part of a
family of pigments called pyranoanthocyanins would include also generated by the
cycloaddition adducts between anthocyanins and a vinyl phenol or with a vinyl flavanol. All
pyranoanthocyanins have an orange color. Finally, vitisin A can also react with a vinyl
phenol or a vinyl originate new flavanol and blue pigments.
Red wine, therefore, contains multiple pigments that make up a palette of much more
complex than a priori could think and indeed colors we are not yet able to predict the color
of a wine from their chemical composition, much less upside down. Still, one can
summarize the above by saying that the color of a young wine depend largely on
anthocyanin composition, its pH and copigmentacin phenomena. For this reason it will be
red with some violet hues. Later, during aging, all mediated reactions are favored etanal as
moderate microoxygenation that takes place in the barrels causes oxidation of ethanol to
ethanal. These reactions result in new pigments, a part adducts between anthocyanins
and flavan-3-ols by ethyl bridges and pyranoanthocyanins. For this reason, wine gradually
evolve tile hues. Finally, when the wine is already very old, anthocyanins have completely
disappeared and will be the pyranoanthocyanins and other more complex pigments which
dominate the color of the wine that will brownish hues. Parallel to these changes the color,
aroma and taste of wine will also evolve. It is therefore try to wait for it to reach its peak
quality to enjoy this complex and delicious drink.
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