Does The Color of a Wine Have a Huge Impact on Quality or Age?

Does The Color of a Wine Have a Huge Impact on Quality or Age? – Episode #290

August 9, 2007

A fantastic website I often visit did an interesting article on the color of wine that has gotten a lot of attention on the web so I am here to address it!

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Comments on this episode(182) Leave a comment ›

“Great episode. I love it when you say, “This smells like a 3-year-old…” by Phredd
“One heck of an educationa on colors….but brownish tint means the win…” by Adrian aka AnGkEr
View all 182 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Domaine Barat Chablis FourneauxChablis
2004 Cascina Morassino Langhe NebbioloNebbiolo d’Alba
2005 Clayhouse Syrah Paso RoblesOther California Syrah/Shiraz
1981 Lopez De Heredia Bosconia Gran ReservaRioja
1996 Clarendon Hills SyrahAustralian Shiraz/Syrah

Links mentioned in todays episode.

182 Responses

August 9, 2007

CJM
First
August 9, 2007

D-Spad
Top 10? What-WHAT?!! Hoo-Ahh!
August 9, 2007

GottaGoDrink
Gary- Looks like a very interesting, educational and I’m sure fun show! Now, back to watch. Cheers!
August 9, 2007

Kruszcontrol
Lurker!
August 9, 2007

Piotr
Third
August 9, 2007

Kathleen
Gary,
Keep the positive attitude and wine education coming!
Kathleen
August 9, 2007

italianwinelover
ohhhh #5 is alive!!!
August 9, 2007

cgatesman
Gary! You look so young! What did you do??
August 9, 2007

GrapeStuff
top 10
August 9, 2007

Shad
top 10?
August 9, 2007

Douche
Great episode!
August 9, 2007

Bwizzle
TOP 10???
August 9, 2007

Jimkay
Bottom 10
August 9, 2007

LPapi
Where is Kahuna???!!???
August 9, 2007

cgatesman
Should you also be looking at the wine edge color? I always thought that more shows age than the overall color of the wine.
August 9, 2007

BiggRigg
Middle 43?????
August 9, 2007

Karl Laczko
That was the best into for ages , and I’ve not seen that many bottles on the table for a long time. Should be fun.
August 9, 2007

Jay Curtis
Excellent show.

Though I never believe colour to be indicative of quality, I have definitely noticed differences in colour as a wine ages. In short, I would use colour as a means of guessing a wine’s age, but I also make sure to consider palate and nose. Nothing is foolproof, though.

Nice job, Gary.
August 9, 2007

Jimkay
cgatesman “Should you also be looking at the wine edge color? I always thought that more shows age than the overall color of the wine.”

Yeah! The deep purple of young wines changes to a brick red/garnet with age. The depth of color also fades as the pigments percipitate out of solution. All this does show up better at the edge of the wine (with proper lighting and a white background). The storage conditions would effect the rate at which those changes occur. I suppose some varieties would have more stable pigments than others and might keep their color better.

My 2 cents
August 9, 2007

Jeffrey
757?
August 9, 2007

italianwinelover
Love the intro!! Excellent show on ages and colors! I thought the color edge determined the age of the wine??? Enjoy the learning! Keep up the great job!

QOTD: Purple: believe it or not has been since I was a wee little one!
August 9, 2007

Kruszcontrol
My favorite color is green as well.

Fun fact: Green is the easiest color for humans to see because it is in the middle of the viable light spectrum. Big ups for the color green!
August 9, 2007

cgatesman
QOTD: Mine is green, too!
August 9, 2007

GrapeStuff
QOTD: BLUE!
August 9, 2007

waibeans
nicely done geevee!

loved the comparison techniques, the edjumacation thing is definitley taking off.

keep it up!!!
August 9, 2007

Randy
Sorry Gary, I’ve been too busy watching J-Piper’s wine tasting SAGA, going on all day today:

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v941338P5CfPrzX (Introductory Music Video)

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v941638×6AChESw (Tasting, Part 1)

Once there, you can link to parts 2 through whatever. GO WATCH!!
August 9, 2007

AppellationMan
AOTD: Blue.

I’m still catching onto this top 10 thing; its hard to comment first and then watch the episode. Gary, very cool episode. I’m working on those Thundercats, my grandmother swears that they are in a box in her attic (i haven’t seen them in like 20 years).
August 9, 2007

Karl Laczko
I hoped you’d give the ‘76 a taste, just so we’d get an idea….

QOTD – Blue, luckily I haven’t had a wine that colour (yet?).

OK, see you in a week, South Africa beckons….
August 9, 2007

Randy
Gah, my comment plugging J-Piper’s videos got moderated. Go figure.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v941638×6AChESw

Go watch, it’s a SAGA, I’m telling you!
August 9, 2007

Jen
GREAT intro. So cute!
QOTD: Blue.
August 9, 2007

Chef Cornell
Very interesting, thanks for the lesson.

QOTD: Blue
August 9, 2007

BiggRigg
QOTD: gotta go with blue, Patriots style. Gary hate to say it but Jets don’t stand a chance this year against the Patriot Dynasty.
August 9, 2007

Color + Design Blog / Wine Color Guide for Quality and Age by COLOURlovers
[...] **Update** I saw Gary Vaynerchuk on Late Night with Conan O’Brien last week so I think it is really fun to see him bust up our color guide in his latest episode on Wine Library’s “Does The Color of a Wine Have a Huge Impact on Quality or Age?” [...]
August 9, 2007

campinglisa
Very interesting Gary! I learned a lot…this was a topic of one of our wine tasting groups!

QOTD: GREEN and BLUE

GREAT EDUCATION TODAY!
August 9, 2007

D-Spad
I’m pretty sure my favorite color is Yellow…but I’m not positive. I’m agreeable with a grand variety of colors to be honest. I take kindly to a deep navy, rich crimson and yes, Gary, even a regal, forest green like that of your Jets. *high-five*
August 9, 2007

Darius A Monsef IV
Hey Gary, Thanks for the update on using color as a guide… we’ve updated our post to point people here for a closer look at the truth behind using color as a guide for age and quality.
August 9, 2007

Aheadwithwings
Lance Legree HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you owned a jersey for him? Would Love to see that didnt even know they made Legree jerseys did you custom order it.

QOTD:BLUE BABY BIG BLUE NEW YORK GIANTS!!
August 9, 2007

John Witherspoon
Good show Gary, way to kick it with all the colors. I would have to disagree with you though, I think..I’ll go 90+ percent of the time you can determine a wines age (not to an exact vintage mind you) by its color. I would agree with you that judging its quality can not be done on color alone. Cool show though, thanks for the edumacation!

Also, after being in Langhe recently and having awesome NEbbiolo with Gnocchi in fact, I second the recommendation.

QOTD: Mine – orange, The Mrs.(aka infamous Lurker) blue/green

J DUB
August 9, 2007

wlburk
Gary,

I personally think that the place that color comes into play with wine, in context of the “Color Index” is if you are comparing one bottle of wine aged over the years…that IMHO is about all that this could be applied to…

QOTD: BLue-Green
August 9, 2007

Shadowbird
QOTD: My favorite color…navy blue.
August 9, 2007

KenP
Taken together with yesterday’s Naked Chard ep. the two best back-to-back shows ever on WLTV. I was riveted by both. Great work, GV.

QOTD: Florentine Red aka ox blood.
August 9, 2007

Dave Canada
My kid was going crazy “I’n on TV” Thanks Gary!
I hear you about the Clarendon Hills. I hav had a few bottles from them that have melowed out nicely. Now, is this a characteristic of the producer or country in general. I would tend to lean towards Clarendon HIlls being one of the producers that can pull this off….thoughts?
QOTD – Gotta be olive, love that colour.
August 9, 2007

Neil
QOTD: “Red, no, green, no, purple, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh,” (the man from scene 24 reference). If we’re talking sports, it’s gotta be Red and Gold (Go Niners!)
August 9, 2007

Lb in KS
Very hard not to smile at the intro!! awesome.
coupla good back to back episodes…nice.
qotd…green as well….matches my eyes, that’s what my wifey say’s.
August 9, 2007

GottaGoDrink
QOTD- It’s green, but should be blue or red.

Nice show Gary, way to do it!
August 9, 2007

wolfie
this episode made me pause half way through and crack a nebbiolo d’alba :rock:

qotd: blue, but i’m color blind so i’m just picking that because it seems most of my clothes are blue
August 9, 2007

Martin
Is it color or colour?
You already asked that question a long time ago. I answered lapis blue then, now I’ll say Campari red.
August 9, 2007

GeneV
Glad you did this ep. I am firmly in the camp of “color is overrated” as a wine evaluator. I get annoyed at ratings cards which give it an equal allocation of points with the nose or palate.
August 9, 2007

Kevin Ko-val-chik
I always love it when poop makes an appearance in an episode. But, who feeds jalapenos to a baby?!
August 9, 2007

AlisonD
QOTD: Light Blue
August 9, 2007

Jameus
Today’s show was great! I really like the educational aspects you bring to the table. Even the smaller tidbits of info you offer about particular varietals and statements of comparison really help alot. I was given (for x-mass) some 05 mollydooker’s namely 2boxers, a carnival of love and an enchanted path. I’ve got them in my cellar and don’t plan on opening them for awhile. I was thinking I’d cellar the CoL and EP for about 7yrs or more. My palate does lean more towards a cote du rhone style of red and I’m hoping these will evolve into something similar to the last one you tried today… but who knows they could be horrid by then! It gave me some hope that these might just evolve like the Clarendon did. Guess we’ll see

QOTD: I really like deep purple. Like the colour you get from black lights.
August 9, 2007

Micha
Thanks for that daily needed dose of WLTV Gary. And a really lovely Intro. I think the “colour thing” is overrated. Colour sure gives some good information and is part of the analysis, but it’s just the less important part for me..
QOTD: No, won’t decide on one only
August 9, 2007

chitown_wino
QOTD- Midnight blue and Orange, GO BEARS!

As if on cue, I recieved my Iron Horse wine club shipment today. Amoung the five bottles, an unoaked Chardonnay.

We’ll see..
August 9, 2007

BruceP
I guess I’d say the only way color might make a difference is if you’re just comparing vintages of the same wine. Otherwise it’s comparing apples and oranges. Pretty meaningless.

QOTD: orange
August 9, 2007

AnthonyS
Great intro Josh (and parents). Thanks for another quality ep GV. Over on the forums, someone had mentioned a collector with a vertical of D’yquem that spanned decades. I had seen this as well, and the evolution of color was amazing. I understand exactly what you were saying though.

QOTD: New York Giants Blue or New York Mets Blue
August 9, 2007

Cam
QOTD: Purple.
August 9, 2007

John J.
Cute intro! He should get together with the kid from Will Ferrel’s Landlord video.

QOTD: Dark Blue all the way. And burnt orange. Going to take a trip up to Santa Barbara this weekend. We’ll see how color plays into my tastings (since I’ll be lookin’ for it). Great show!
August 9, 2007

Jen Loves Wine
Hey Gary. Thanks for bring the thunder, Josh. Very nice handling of the glass — I can see you’ve had some experience. Fruit juice to wine … how big of a leap is it really? Great show – interesting topic and a nice selection of wines. It’s nice to hear the shiraz will age nicely (or at least that this test confirms it will age nicely).

QOTD: Silver blue or gray blue.
August 9, 2007

Roo
Great intro + great info = great show. Awesome job Gary.

QOTD: It varies. Right now, a deep rich red.
August 9, 2007

Julie
QOTD: Green… all the varied hues. The color of new growth and,of course, the color of money. That was a good movie too, IMO.
August 9, 2007

Ken B.
Gary,

Great intro; what a cute kid. Great show Gary V.

QOTD: CAROLINA BLUE baby!
August 9, 2007

Brandice
QotD: green, also.
August 9, 2007

KenP
Jimkay, above, is exactly correct. Polymerization of pigments occur with wines over time. Sometimes the process results in deposits in the last glass of an older wine. Might be interesting to do an episode with the last pour rather than the first. Deposits in unfined and unfiltered wines, as well as pigment, might make for instructive viewing.
Brick red is the signature of a declining wine, of course.
I think it was the sommelier from Windows on the World, the restaurant destroyed in 9/11, who once said, and I paraphrase, ‘a red wine is ready when you can read the menu through the glass.’ The problem is the modern preference for black, opaque wines, parkerized, to be sure. The prevalence of such manipulated wines has obscured a drinker’s ability to understand the meaning of color.

My 2 cents.
August 9, 2007

wine lush
Gary, How can you compare a 1981 Gran Reserva against a 2004 Nebbiolo d’Alba? They are completely different grapes that age differently.

Also a California Shiraz and an Australian Shiraz have different styles of vinification and production.

In order to prove wrong or right on your test. You will need to compare a 20 year span of the same wine from the same producer from the same region from the same grape.

I appreciate your test, but 100% Nebbiolo ages completely different than Grenache/Tempranillo/Graciano/Mazuelo blends of Rioja. Nebbiolo d’Alba typically goes through 10-12 months of oak aging, whereas a Grand Reserva from Rioja requires 5 years of aging and a minimum of 2 years on oak and 3 in bottle, though most producers age them for much longer than that. I don’t mean to nerd it up, but I just don’t see how those two could be compared for colour purposes.
August 9, 2007

mas
Great episode Gary – thanks for the Clarendon and Morassino reviews – have to seek those out for sure.

QOTD: Blue
August 9, 2007

half century
Very educational. I can’t wait for the ‘SOUND OF WINE’ Episode!

QOTD; The clear blue-green water between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke
August 9, 2007

GregO
That’s a great video Dave! I think little Josh Canada is ready to join our wine tasting group!

I think colour is worth noting but shouldn’t be used for anything of any significance like scoring.
August 9, 2007

EvilHomer
QOTD: Purple…..I ham so excited…I am 3 bottles of the Clarendon HIlls 1996 in my cellar…think I might pop one tonight.

Keep up the AWESOME work Gary!!!
August 9, 2007

Jennifer
QOTD: Blue
August 9, 2007

SteveW
TOP 65 – WOW
Color is overrated!
QOTD: Blue (GO SEAHAWKS)
August 9, 2007

Matty Van - Tampa,FL
wether I like it or not…hmm its a good thing I like it

QOD – purple
August 9, 2007

JonE
THis weekedn I am going to drink the 95′ Lopez de Heredia Rose Rioja. Its a pure shiny copper now, and I’m sure a little sherry like.

QOTD:I’m blue, in my head and my heart. Thanks a lot George.
August 9, 2007

Rob in Indy
Too bad you didn’t have a sack of sliders to go w/ that ‘75. It would have been interesting to see if the wine got better with the food or the food got better with the wine… Good show.. Can’t wait to get a bottle of the Clarendon Hills Syrah. Great show as always. GO COLTS!!
August 9, 2007

Bossman
As the bevy of doctors huddled over me at Manhattan Eye, Ear Nose and Throat as a 5yr old can atest I am utterly and completely colorblind, I also have one abnormally large iris (and you know what they say about large irides). I also have a difficult time getting anything but grape from the nose of wine.

Do you think that’s what the wife mean when she says I have no sense?

Thank goodness, my taste buds work reasonably well (but really what is there to compare it to? – does my definition of “lemon” equal yours?).

Ashtray, huh? Small favors.

I beg to differ, the world is black and white (to some of us anyway).

QOTD: Black………….. or white……… definitely one of the two.

My QOTD to you: are you sure about the number? By my count it’s 4918.
August 9, 2007

Ryan
QOTD: Navy
August 9, 2007

Hans
QOTD: blue.
August 9, 2007

Dominus
Great show, awaiting my Naked Chards for the weekend.

QOTD: Colts Blue, duhhhhh

Cheers!
August 9, 2007

Gree
Gar, Love the show good luck on the sliders

G
August 9, 2007

RieslingRon
QOTD: Orange……….
August 9, 2007

Bernie Bearnaise
First of all I would like to be Josh’s agent. He made Gary look so old….and profound.

The red wines get their character, color, and tannins from skin contact. Certain grapes give great color like Petit Verdot and the dark tones of Malbec. Sauternes have a tawny color with age. It is an interesting sidebar to talk about but does not determine taste IMO. The popularity of blush wines was caused by a by-product of Zinfandel runoff that became the rage due to its pleasing pink color. Rose’s have been bashed for years as a wine for newbs but have made somewhat of a comeback recently. We are the victims of stereotypes. Pink champagne is more expensive and more difficult to produce than the blonde type and has its own cachet. I must say to each his own. There has to be some flavor somewhere to match the visual display.

Another golden nugget in this episode was the fact that the ‘96 Clarendon Hills improved with age and displayed charisma. Gary got there first again and now we know what’s real….

True Blue as in deep cosmic blue light special.
August 9, 2007

Darlene O.
Gary, loved the episode!!! Wonderful! Extremely educational and, as always, awesomely entertaining! QOD: Green. It’s the color of life.
August 9, 2007

OttawaB
Another good episode GV. I really love the Clarendon Hills selection of wines. My favourite Aussie wines. A bit pricey but worth the dough.
I’m not sure I would put them into the fruit bomb category of many other Aussie wines. The winemaker states that he tries to imitate the Rhone Valley style of wines, although I do think there is more fruit on the palate then Rhone wines.
August 9, 2007

E
Yet another Lopez de Heredia sighting. Intriguing.

QOTD: Mid-90s pre-Parcells Neil O’Donnell green.
August 9, 2007

Mattpan
Gary….I wanted to see you try that ‘75…that would have brought the thunder!!! Looked totally cooked…

QOTD: Blue
August 9, 2007

Scarred1
Dave Canada – pass my congrats on to Josh for bringing the thunder. It was awesome.

GV – Great show. Nice spread of wines and ratings. The color thing has been point-counterpointed above and I think is an interesting discussion. As always I am learning lots from the community (and you). VaynerNation rules!

QOTD – Is cammo a color? I’d say green is my dominate color fav, though for sports, garnet and gold (a la FSU & Redskins) are at the top of my list.

Saludos!
John
August 9, 2007

Dean
Good show! Almost spit my wine out while watching when you said “It’s like a 3 year old pooped jalapeno peppers”. Great imagery!

QOTD: Green
August 9, 2007

Denise
Looking forward to trying that Nebbiolo. Great show.

QOTD: Yellow…because it’s just so cheerful!! : )
August 9, 2007

dkeck
GV
I love the color green.
August 9, 2007

Kdawg
that clarendon hills now has me really excited for how my amon-ra’s are going to turn out

QOTD: I love red. A nice good solid red. I’m a ManU fan and give me their normal color all day long
August 9, 2007

Harley Stan
Gary, way to bring the thunder. I hope all my Aussie fruit bombs age well, or make to an old age before I drink them.
QOTD green
August 9, 2007

alberto
Great show, very focus and interesting.

…changing the wine world weather “YOU” like it or not?
Come on man “WE” are not part of the problem, (We and Gary are the solution).
It is…Weather “THEY” like it or not.
August 9, 2007

maria
excellent intro!cutest kid(JOSH)around.He needs to be in way more episodes.great job to dave in canada for such a sweetheart child.Get him on t.v.
August 9, 2007

Lenny
Great show today.

I could have answered the question about the color just from watching WLTV for several months.

QOTD:

Wife’s is green
Mine is Blue – like my eyes.
August 9, 2007

Grapestompper (Dave)
Now there’s the pre-Conan GV we’ve come to know and love. Great episode, cool experiment w/color. Loved the wines today. Classsic WLTV here.
August 9, 2007

msb2ncsu
QOTD: Blue! No, Yellow! AHHhhh…
In all seriousness, it is without a debt RED and WHITE, for wine and the Wolfpack!
August 9, 2007

Michelle
thanks for another excellent and original show,

QOTD: blue
August 9, 2007

Grapestompper (Dave)
QOTD: Purple(non-winwe related) been that since I was 4.
August 9, 2007

CoryS
GaryV, only hope to be a Thunder Bringer v. a wine connoisseur.

QOTD – black, my friends, cause if it doesn’t have black, it can’t have yellow or orange.
August 9, 2007

Chuck D
Gary – the Iron Shiek isn’t so calm have you heard on interviews lately ? Ferrell and Howard Stern have him fired up.

QOTD: a nice sky blue for day dreams and plesant days.

Way to go little Josh bringing his own thunder with some Hi-C nose. Those Canadians making their kids drink wine to get on a Vany-TV
August 9, 2007

TommyBoBo of WI
QOTD:
Hate to admit it,, specially if LARS is watching,,, but it’s purple. What can I say? I love my Packers (the best color green) but I like purple.
Technically I don’t think there is a color purple,, it’s a hue of violet, but you get what I mean.

Great ep GMan!
August 9, 2007

NathanN
Live show coming up wow you are a brave man to attempt it again.

QOTD: Yellow
August 9, 2007

amgryger
Thanks for the Lopez de Heredia. I did ask for one a couple times.

Also, thanks for the nebbiolo. I love nebbiolo wines across the board. Langhe, D’Alba, Barbaresco, Barolo, Gattinara, Nebbiolo Rose…

QOTD: It happens to be a paint color. Winsor & Newton French Ultramarine.
August 9, 2007

Malphas
QOTD: I love the color Violet (purple): The color of royalty, baby!
August 9, 2007

Doc Dan
Good show GV! Love the older vintages i the show. QOTD: Notre Dame Blue and Gold!
August 9, 2007

KW
I have found that white wines do darken with age. But they don’t all darken equally. Like you I have not found the reds to change color much, though in some instances I have found some older red wines to be a bit more muddy or cloudy / sometimes caused by silt formation, the amount probably based on filtation levels.

QOTD: Blue
August 10, 2007

Ed Sadkowski
Gary:
Great Show, As usual

The thing about color as it relates to over age, it seems to me, is a non-starter unless you are a collector. I am relatively new to the wine world and find it near impossible to let a wine go past its prime. I have not the cellaring facilities or the money to keep or purchase such wine. That being said, I go through 2 to 3 bottles a week, and spend a average of $24 a bottle. Color is one of the things I find to be important to my enjoyment of wine, the way a good chenin blanc has a golden sparkle in the late afternoon sun or the deep ruby edge glow of a nice Rioja as it fads to near ink black in the depths of the glass.

The Great thing about wine, and the way Gary V. presents it, is that it is an individual experience that is about sight, smell and taste, not only of what is in your wine glass but also of the environment you are in and the company you keep.

And for that I lift my glass high and say Cheers to Gary V. and his continued success.

Eddy S.
California
August 10, 2007

diego de la p...
great show again man!, you should have tried the first chablis just for fun and to see your reaction haha that could have been real fun

QOTD: blue
August 10, 2007

Capt M
Clearly, the winners here are the Nebbiolo and the Clarendon Hills. I liked when you described the concept of “stinkers”. I appreciate that in wine, and in other instances in life. Very good show!
August 10, 2007

TheThriller
Dirty diapers? Baby craping jalapenos? I love it!!! I’ve never read that in Wine Spectator.

QOTD: Blue
August 10, 2007

Mudd
Great info. Thanks Gary.

QOTD: Dark Green.
August 10, 2007

Nico
Cool show today, Gary!

QOTD: RED RED RED RED RED
August 10, 2007

OldVinesJim
Most of the time, the color won’t tell you much, but older red wines do get orange at the edges and you rarely see that in a young red.

QOTD: Blue
August 10, 2007

Does The Color of a Wine Have a Huge Impact on Quality or Age … | Wine News
[...] Originally Syndicated via RSS from Google Blog Search: “paso robles” + “wine” [...]
August 10, 2007

Panoca
Gary, you know i’m an old fan. This episode, for some reason, brought me a lot of joy. SPECTACULAR EPISODE!
Congrats Gary, you are consistent as a good vintage port.
QOTD: Blue!!
August 10, 2007

Steve-o
Gary, I am officially in love with your new outro: “Whether you like it or not”. It totally sums up the youthful irreverence that makes what you do so great.

QOTD: black…it’s not that I’m emo, or that it “expresses my soul”…I just think things look good in black. Gadgets, cars, thongs…you know that i mean.
August 10, 2007

Brendan McGuigan
Great episode, Gary. Not an issue I think has too much bearing on how I interact with wine, quite frankly, as I think there are too many factors that come into play to make just sweeping statements â€“ but still an interesting view, and a good way of addressing this meme.

QOTD: Depends so much on context… but the verdant green of the hillside in County Waterford or in Anderson Valley really does it for me. Otherwise, that amazing metal-grey the Pacific Ocean gets right before a storm.
August 10, 2007

vibemore
Blue.
August 10, 2007

Gabriel
Gary, you need to work on your pronuciation man! Morsianino??? It clearly says Morassino on the label. Usually you do the Italian wines OK but the french needs a whole lot of work.

Love what you are doing though! Keep it up!
August 10, 2007

wmole
Wow Jen, thanks for the c/note vid yesterday, I blushed. Love canyon club, are you there each thurs?
August 10, 2007

phermented1
Another great show. I always use color to help determine the wines age but it has to be used in conjunction with the nose, palate, and finish. You can not go by color alone (as you have proved).
QOTD: Blue
August 10, 2007

Medo
Very nice show Gary! I had an 1995 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz some time ago and it was absolutely amazing!

QOTD: blue!
August 10, 2007

StaceyS
I love the big-a$$ glass…what type and brand is it?
August 10, 2007

Jeff
What a great intro! Nice job, Josh.

QOTD: Mine’s green too! (Or blue.)
August 10, 2007

Sassodoro
I always check out the color of the wines at home, but in most restaurants I can’t even read the menu without a flashlight.

QOTD: the green of my wife’s eyes and the tortoiseshell of my cat’s fur.
August 10, 2007

talksnmaths
StaceyS – I’m taking a stab at this, but I think it’s the “Riedel Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru” (Item No. 4400/16). http://www.riedel.com
August 10, 2007

StaceyS
Thanks talksnmaths…I appreciate it!
August 10, 2007

Patrick C
Gary,

In regards to color, you forgot to mention/discuss the variances in color depth as pertaining to the meniscus. Within the miniscus you will see and be able to identify whether a wine is young or more aged. This is very important to look at when comparing and assesing a wines age.

Cheers!
August 10, 2007

StaceyS
My favorite color is every shade of blue.
August 10, 2007

Deano
Gary great show it was a learning experience which is sweet.

QOTD:
-Green!!!!
August 10, 2007

luvgrapesqeezings
Thanks again for making another interesting show! I agree that color doesn’t indicate the quality of a wine. However, as you pointed suggested color can give someone clues to a specific wine’s stage of development.

QOTD: Off the cuff, I typically say blue, but honestly, it’s a difficult question for me to answer because so many colors can bring or reflect so many different things to people. For instance, how many of us have been awestruck by the natural beauty of a sunset, or by the different shades of green and blue the ocean shows, or have been moved by an Impressionist painter’s use of color to express emotion etc…?
August 10, 2007

B. Napa
Great new wine film.

check it out.

http://www.virb.com/donandsonsfilms/videos/20806
August 10, 2007

Caesar D
Hey GV,

Your episode on color was good…but I would argue that it contained some serious flaws. When comparing the color of wines as it pertains to age, you have to compare the same grape type form the same producer (ie: a Vertical tasting of the same wine). In this case, you can see how age affects the color of the wine over time. Comparing color on the 2004 Nebbiolo vs. 81 Rioja was a big boo-boo. Your best comparison, which DID show how color can indicate a wines age is the the 1975 vs. 2005 Chablis.

Love the Clarendon…
CDF
August 10, 2007

Orion Slayer
I had a twenty year old wine that had an awesome color at a tasting once. The wine had different flavors than any of the wines I normally drink. The color was very deep yellow and unusual. Color rocks.

QOTD: Yellow.

(It’s hard to play fantasy football if you’re a die hard fan like Gary. Try watching a game where you have players on your fantasy football team against your favorite team!)
August 10, 2007

MetalDave
QOTD: Green
August 10, 2007

Susan
Gary-Great Ep!!!Love the color comparison!!!!!!
August 10, 2007

Susan
QOTD: Pink!!!
August 10, 2007

DirtBag
I once had a wine that was yellow with purple polka dots. True story. My Fav color is Dirt.
August 10, 2007

Kathleen
Blue. Sky blue, because God Loves The Infantry!
I love you, Lt. Gentile.
Kathleen
August 10, 2007

BW
Clayhouse comes from the east side of Paso – very hot & very few quality wines from the east side.
If you want quality from Paso, you have to seek out the west side wines. They are very different. West side gets the marine influence, cooler temps but still big temp. swings, has the unique calcareous (limestone) soil & generates far superior fruit. East side is mostly bulk growers like Meridian. If you haven’t tried Paso wine, don’t let the Clayhouse review turn you off- seek out the west side & you will be happy – all the big scores from the big reviewers (RP, WS, ST, etc) are all west side wines. Personal favorite producers are Villa Creek, L’Adventure & Denner.

So, QOTD …. blue is my favorite
August 10, 2007

AngryToxicologist
QOTD: blue-gray.

Gary: It’s pronounced “Claire-en-den”. You do a far better job than I do pronouncing stuff so BIG hypocrite here.

Day 2 of the Port Request Post-in. Looking forward to a long post run. I’ll wear you out but let’s make it a contest here.

Sorry for the hard time: good show, nice theme.
August 10, 2007

WMiree
The color of a wine has probably misled wine drinkers more than any other characteristic of wine. The lighter shades of Burgundy routinely belie their huge aromatics and staying power of their palate. Certainly the same with Nebbiola based wines. Color does typically accurately gage power and strength in Cabernet for New World wines, but can mislead on Bordeaux. Depth of color can often foretell “over-the-hill” or oxidized wines with white wines, but even here, with dessert white wines, it simply foretells really rich older but fabulous wines. The bottom line is that there is no universal rule about color alone in wine. Any rules are specific to grape type and have to be assessed in conjunction with other factors.

Glad you tried the Clarendon. I have bought a lot of this wine over the years since 1997, and have tasted all of them only around purchase date. They are killer young, but have always given me a sense of an ability to age well, especially compared to many other Australian Shirazes, whose future prospects are totally oblique to me. I was delighted to hear your glowing assessment of an aging vintage of it.
August 10, 2007

Billman
My take: the color differences between ‘different vintages of the same wine,’ or ‘the same wine opened at different ages’ are probably more informative than color differences between unrelated wines.
August 10, 2007

Andrea
ok, stoopid question from a stoopid person (because now I’m confused): if color is not indicative of quality or age, what is its the significance? visual pleasure?

qotd: sunsets and blue
August 10, 2007

desmaic
maybe think about showing the color of the wines by holding the camera above them with a white back drop or a light box setup (only needed with the reds really)…. unfortunatly it is hard to see the true color from the current angle… just a thought…
love the educational angle of the show… i think it helps get people involved who might otherwise feel intimidated by asking questions…
keep it up hardcore….
August 10, 2007

Casey
QOTD: I LOVE color! It’s very difficult for me to pick favorites, but I have to go with pink and orange.
August 10, 2007

cosmo108
QOTD: Green!
August 10, 2007

Jon B.
Great episode..Qotd to look at green but to wear red. Catching up on episodes on to friday thanks GV and Wltv crew.
August 10, 2007

Jon B.
I meangrey to wear
August 11, 2007

YoungDave
Sweet Ep., big G.

QOTD: I always liked red when I was a wee lad, and now I am always intrigued by the way light hits a red wine, especially deeper reds with ruby or garnet edges.
August 11, 2007

Keith L
Will have to search for the Nebbiolo today. Thanks for the intro

Really wanted you to try the 1975 to increase your palate

QOTD: Blue
August 11, 2007

jeff
QOTD: GREEN
August 11, 2007

Daniel O
Gary! Loving the education aspect of WLTV Thanks for yet another awesome episode. QOTD: Royal Blue!
August 11, 2007

Jim in Atlanta
Thanks for the wine education. QOTD – Blue normally (but red for wine)
August 11, 2007

Bolgheri
Gary, Thanks for keeping it real…and for giving it up re: New World IS Age worthy. CL
August 11, 2007

Creed
Gary, I discovered your shows last week and love them! I will be watching from now on.

Was sad to hear the Clayhouse review. About a year ago I started really becoming passionate about wine and the Clayhouse 2003 Petite Sirah is the wine that started it all for me. I’ve not tried the 2005 Syrah though.

QOTD – Burnt Orange
August 11, 2007

SoCal
Interesting Episode!
QOTD: Blue
August 12, 2007

Greg S
Gary,

I agree with your comment about nebbiolo grapes/wines. Another overlooked grape and wine that is underappreciated is dolcetto. Some of these are quite delicious.
Greg S
August 12, 2007

wannaBconnoisseur
Love the education eps!!!!

Q: Blue
August 12, 2007

Elliot Essman
Favorite color – dollar bill green.

Great analysis of color issues; very well conceived and planned.
August 12, 2007

wayno da wino
YOOOO GARY!!!!
Thanx for da Super cool episode!! Very educational
for da Vayniaks!
I thought you was gonna barf-up dat Clayhouse!!
How come you didn’t drink any of dat 1975 Chablis
vinegar?? GO JETS!!!!

QOTD: Tie between Green, Blue & Gray/Silver
August 12, 2007

Ron Lacey
You can’t go wrong with the Clarendon as long as it’s pre 2001. Starting with the 2002 vintage the wine become over extracted, heavy, high in alc with reduced acidity. I buy all I can find that is pre 2001 and currently looking for the 2001 Romas at least 4 750s. Best picks if you can find them are as follows:
2001 Blewitt Springs this is a must have. this is KILLER Stuff
2001 Romas
August 12, 2007

Ron Lacey
Sorry, should be pre 2002. As you can see I love the 2001.
August 12, 2007

La Philosophe
QOTD: Green. It’s fresh, rich, natural.

Time to cash in the IRA for Clarendon.
August 12, 2007

ktw
qotd: gray (as in hair)
we drank a williams selyem 1997 pinot noir last week which was amazing and i liken it to your Clarendon experience…
August 12, 2007

cruster
QOTD: Blue is good. I like #006699 quite a bit.
August 13, 2007

jason
QOTD: mint green with bright orange but who cares?
had a 1990 cahors 2 nights ago, it was still sooo inky still. insane.
August 13, 2007

Greg B.
Big G, I like it. Nice show Bro!

QOTD: CHICAGO BEAR BLUE!
August 13, 2007

SoCal
Forgot to reply…..
QOTD: BLUE…but didn’t you already ask this one a few eps back?
August 13, 2007

mcj
QOTD: Green
August 13, 2007

yowens
Green
August 13, 2007

Jayhitek
QOTD: Blue!
August 13, 2007

matt
I want a sniffy sniff letter that says I sniffed it too.
August 14, 2007

Grapedigger
Colorful episode…
August 23, 2007

JayZee
Cool (albeit lengthy) show! QOT: Purple
August 24, 2007

Brandon M
#175 – How come it doesn’t show numbers on the posts anymore?
February 12, 2008

Ryan
dark green
May 18, 2008

Chaz
“Like a 3 year old pooped Jalepenos and cabbage” – hahah awesome. but i DIG old school riojas too. Nice work, its good to see someone who ACTUALLY understands and appreciates the elegance and uniqueness of traditional rioja. Thanks Gary!
July 18, 2008

Oakmon's BF
Iâ€™m trying my first nebbiolo as I rewatch this episode. Itâ€™s 2005 Rocca Felice Neddiolo dâ€™Alba. I like it a lot. Iâ€™ve been trying a lot of varietals for the first time and noting the ones I really like. The list says dolcetto, barbera and nebbiolo. Am I crazy or is there a pattern here. It appears that my palate is telling me to buy more Italian wine. None of these had any detectable oak. I hope the Oakmon doesnâ€™t get pissed that Iâ€™m spending more time without him.
August 2, 2008

Dessert Wine Nerd
hahaha at the Iron Sheik reference. You cant go a week without a wrestling comment or two, can you? I love the Iron Sheil though. Absolute nut. The Martey Janetty stories alone….. Great episode, too. I like these kinds of topics other that just “wine from here.” QOTD: Blue.
April 1, 2009

Robin C
What about that brown ridge around the red wine in a glass? It doesn’t definitively tell you anything, but it often is a good presager (is that a word?) of oxidation isn’t it?
June 28, 2009

Adrian aka AnGkEr
One heck of an educationa on colors….but brownish tint means the wine is oxidised or heading to that direction right?

QOTD: Started with Green then moved to Blue….
July 22, 2009

Phredd
Great episode. I love it when you say, “This smells like a 3-year-old pooped jalepenos. And I like it!” There better be a LOT of other smells in there is you like it….

QOTD: Blue. It isn’t close, since I am moderately red/green colorblind.