Is red wine made from red grapes, and white wine made from “white” (green) grapes?

Wine is made from fermented fruits, typically grapes, but there are also apple wines, pomegranate wines, etc. Grapes, however, have the ideal characteristics for winemaking (high sugar, low acidity, yeast nutrients) and have been used for this purpose for at least eight thousand years.

The origin of this basic misunderstanding about wine is easy to ascertain: The two main categories of wine are the same as the two main types of grapes: red and white. Some white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Zinfandel are indeed made from white grapes. However, white wines such as Pinot Noir or Zinfandel are made from red grapes.

So, what is responsible for the dark or light wine color? Whether or not the grape skins are included. When the skins are removed before fermentation, white wine results. Red wines get their color from the dark skins that are allowed to remain while the grapes ferment. Blush colored wines are created by leaving the skins for only a portion of the fermentation process… or simply adding a little red wine to the finished white wine.