Red Wine vs. White Wine: The Basic Difference

Do you find it intimidating to pick the right bottle of wine? The fine-dining restaurants usually have a sommelier or a wine specialist to assist you in selecting a perfect wine. But what if you want to impress your date or you’re browsing the web pages or wine shelves with nearly endless choices of bottles? Whether you want a nice drink to pair with a meal or simply need to pick a bottle off the shelf for a friend, a basic knowledge about wines can always help. So, if you’re wondering how to select a good wine, let’s start with the basics.  To begin with, you need to first understand the difference between red and white wine.

When it comes to wines, both red and white wine taste great and can be the right choice to kick-start a lovely evening. But to pick the right bottle of wine, you need to consider your taste preferences and the right paring with the meal. Choosing between red and white wine largely depends on your personal taste and preferences. However, you might want to know that which wine reigns supreme in the battle of red vs. white wine. So, in this article, you will get to know the basic difference between these two types of wines and other interesting facts to make the right choice for your evening.

Red Wine vs. White Wine

Both red and white wine differs from each other in terms of production methods, flavor profiles, food pairing options, and more. However, the basic difference between the two is the choice of grapes. They both are made of fermented grape juice but they taste and look different. Typically, red wines like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Malbec are made with red or black grapes while white wines like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are made with white grapes. It is noteworthy here that green color grapes are known as white grapes. These grapes produce light color juice and are used for making white wine.

The process of making white wine involves removing the grape skin and seeds before starting the fermentation process. The juice is extracted and yeast is added to begin fermentation. White wine can also be made with red or black grapes by removing their skin. When red or black grapes are fermented without the skin and aged in stainless steel vats for fermentation, the style is called blanc de noir. So, the difference between white and red wine lies in the grape skin and tannin. Tannin is a naturally occurring substance in grapes that makes wine taste dry or bitter.  Tannins are found in the skin of the grape which means that white wine has little or no tannins, making it sweeter, lighter taste.

Red wine, on the other hand, is made of black or red grapes. The grapes are crushed with the skin and the natural yeast present in the grape skin helps in fermentation. Unlike white wine, the presence of skin gives red wines large amounts of tannins which give it a bitter taste. When comparing red and white wine, red wines are more acidic but contain less sugar and carbohydrates than white wine. Red wine is usually fermented for weeks in Oak barrels and has more health benefits than white wine.

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