Difference Between Red Wine and White Wine

Red Wine vs White Wine

Red wine and white wine are almost always offered in restaurants to accompany the dish you ordered. It is easy to decide what to order when you know exactly what best balances with your food. What better way to orient yourself than by knowing how one differs from the other.

Red Wine

Wines are made from grapes. Red wine in particular, is usually made with red grapes or black grapes. Red wine is made almost the same as how white wine is made. Grapes are crushed into a machine, then fermented and then stored for a long period of time. However, what makes a red wine stand out is that throughout the whole process of wine making, the grapes’ seeds, skins, and even stems are mixed in. This produces tannins which gives red wine its color and its more complex, heavier, richer taste.

White Wine

While red wines are from red grapes, white wines are almost always made from white grapes and sometimes black grapes. Although white wine undergoes the same process as red, however, white grapes go into the whole process without skins, seeds or stems. Yeast is added during fermentation until the juice turns white. This basically makes white wine a fermented grape juice since all are juices extracted from the fruit without the woody bits. So, generally, white wines are lighter, sweeter and fruity.

Difference between Red Wine and White Wine

Aside from color, now we know that what makes red differ from white wine is the presence of tannins in the end product. These tannins come from the skins, seeds and stems of the grape fruit and they make a lot of difference particularly in taste. Tannins bring out a taste that’s strong, heavy, and more complex to the wine. That’s why novices to wine drinking are advised to start at something that’s light and palatable to them such as a white wine instead of indulging themselves directly to red which could take them by surprise.

One of the oldest rules in dining is to know how to complement your food to your wine. Now it will be easier to decide which wine to choose when we dine formally in a restaurant.

In brief: • Red wine is made from red and sometimes black grapes while white wine is made from white and sometimes black grapes. Red and white wine basically undergo the same process except that the grapes’ skin, seeds and stem are also processed in making red wine. • The skin and seeds of the grapes excrete tannins which makes the color of the wine red and makes the taste more complex. • White wine is lighter and more fruity compared to red wine and could be best for beginners to start with.