Champagne comes in many different shades of color varying from yellow including very pale straw colored wines to golden yellow to reddish in the case of rosés and even brown. The chemical composition of champagne dictates the color of the wine, and for champagne several interesting factors influence its chemical composition. The juice of the grape has very little to no color of its own, and the color of wine comes from different molecules found in the grape skins such as pigments, molecules such as phenols extracted from the skins called tannins or from the oak barrels the wine is aged in and the chemical reactions forming new molecules as the wine ages.

         Wine acquires most of its color in a stage called maceration. After the grapes are crushed they are allowed to stay in contact with the skins extracting color and flavor from the skins. The longer juice or must stays in contact with the skins the greater the extraction of color. Grape juice intended to make white champagne from the black grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, has very little contact with the dark skins. The phenolic compounds from the skins called tannins darken the wine and impart the dusty feeling on the tongue one experiences in dry red wines. Another phenolic compound, resveratrol found in grape skins, has noted cardioprotective effects. Rosé champagne acquires its red or pink hue due to longer exposure of the must to the grape skins. Even white grapes are not white but yellow to gold. Essentially the types of grapes used and the maceration time will be evident in the color of the wine. The following examples are color plates that suggest the hue of different champagnes according to the types of grapes used:

A pale straw almost grey yellow indicates the presence of Pinot Meunier.

Higher percentages of Pinot Noir will impart a deeper straw color. Wood aging deepens the yellow more.

Rosés made by adding red wine for color look more orange or pink.

Rosés made by skin contact have a deeper red.

Champagnes made with mostly Chardonnay look more lemony.

         As wine ages it also changes color. Some of the pigments fade and some of the molecules experience chemical reactions that change their color properties. Additionally, some compounds will polymerize or form long chains of repeating molecules. The result is a darkening of the wine to a deep gold to brown. A brownish champagne is most probably past its prime.

         Next time you have a glass of champagne look closely at the color and try to guess the types of grapes used.