Red/white wines made with same grapes

[Yugguy]

Anyone else had the wines from Tescos that are made from both Merlot and Pinot Grigio combined but in both red and white varities? Interesting idea and very good value for money, both very drinkable.

Does anyone else do this, I find it fascinating how such different wines can arise from treating the same grapes in different ways.

[Shaw Tarse]

Yugguy said:

Anyone else had the wines from Tescos that are made from both Merlot and Pinot Grigio combined but in both red and white varities? Interesting idea and very good value for money, both very drinkable.

Does anyone else do this, I find it fascinating how such different wines can arise from treating the same grapes in different ways.

It's down to the skins,the skin of a black grape wil affect the colour of the wine.Rose isn't a mix of red & white just how long the skin is left to tint the wine.

[Triumph Coupe]

It is often done that you can get white wine from red grapes. It s all down to the way they crush the grapes. The colour comes from the skins (as already pointed out).

In fact a great example is champagne. Champagne is made from only three grape types of which two are red and one is white. But you get white champagne from them (except when you get rose which is still made form the same grapes).

[Noger]

Shaw Tarse said:

Rose isn't a mix of red & white just how long the skin is left to tint the wine.

Better get down to Oddbins and tell them that their Henriot Rose, made by adding red wine to white, isn't rose afyerall

[Yugguy]

Aye, I knew about the skins etc., I just liked the way they presented the wines, the labelling is minimalist and says the grape names and Red or White, and it's interesting to compare the two wines.

[TimCrighton]

The grape blend may well be different - bare in mind that it doesn't tell you the split (ie 60/40) which would give you a great variety in taste. Sugar quantities are also likely to be differed, but it is amazing to see the differences that can be extracted from the same basic raw ingredient.

[Mr Beaumont]

I have a friend that runs a Vineyard in Burgendy and he makes a very nice Rose by using mostly Pinot Gris, but with a tiny bit of Pinot Noir.