THE COLOUR OF WHITE WINES

We continue our journey into the colour of the wine by analysing the characteristics of white wines. Refreshing and pleasant, very often white wines enchant the eye through their bright colours, a proof of their vivid acidity. All in all a good presence of acidity and minerality is what every producer aims to in the making of a white wine, whose main purpose is torefresh the palate of the consumer by stimulating salivation.

Greenish yellow
This colour indicates young wines with strong acidity. Never as in this case the colour will be indicative of the product we are going to taste. The salivary glands of the most experienced tasters will begin to produce saliva, in the classic Pavlov’s conditioned reflex. The shades of greenish yellow are cold, with green hues. Varieties with greenish yellow colour: Verdicchio and Riesling.

Pale yellow
This is the most common colour, often with shades of gold to complete the overall picture of the visual exam. Pale yellow wines are product in overall good condition, usually with an interesting balance between acidity and alcohol. Pale yellow is the colour of our white Marmorelle, made with predominance of Chardonnay, but also the colour of white Malvasia and Vermentino.

Gold yellow
If the greenish yellow has given us cold feelings, the intense yellow hue of this colour will warm our heart. Gold yellow wines are usually brilliant; their colour indicates a state of evolution a bit more mature, so the wine has probably rested a few years in the bottle. Sometimes this colour means we have in the glass a wine produced from withered grapes. Landmarks for the gold yellow are our white Marmorelle and Giancola aged a few years.

Amber
It is a shade that is found in white dessert wines. Very smooth ones and with a strong content of alcohol. If the amber colour is dull, please consider if the wine is still fit for consumption, because it could be an oxidized, undrinkable wine. The amber colour is a hint when it comes to the olfactory examination: it’s a sign that we must look for perfumes such as honey, caramel, dried fruit. On the palate instead, the wine is slightly sweet and very pleasant in the mouth.