Can you make white wine with red grapes?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Can you make white wine with red grapes?
—Stayam, Dehli, India
Dear Stayam,
Yes, it's possible to make a white wine from red wine grapes. Rather than extracting flavors and colors from the red grape skins, they limit contact with the skins. The juice from red wine grapes can be pretty clear on its own. I’m most familiar with a version of Pinot Noir that’s white and has a lovely baked apple and ginger profile, much different from a typical red version.
Of course, I should remind you that traditional Champagne and sparkling wines are made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier—the latter two are red wine grapes. That’s another example of a white, in this case bubbly, made from red wine grapes.
—Dr. Vinny
