—by Averill Shepps
Just when you think you’ve seen everything, something new comes along. In this case it’s blue wine, not the Blue Nun wine that was popular in the 70’s, but blue-colored wine! Why? I suppose because it can be made. The vinification process uses both red and white grapes blended with anthrocyanin from the red grape skins and indigotine, an organic compound commonly used as a food dye. It was first made by a Spanish company called Gik and the Italian Blumond, but they both ran afoul of the wine labelling laws.
A new company has made a blue wine and calls it Vindigo, avoiding the laws, possibly because nowhere on the label is it called wine and because it has enough alcohol to be called wine . Blumond at 7% alcohol was rejected for that reason. According to Vindigo’s Facebook page, it is made from Chardonnay grapes filtered through red grape skins for the anthrocyanin. Flavors mentioned are cherry, raspberry, blackberry and passionfruit. No mention of the food coloring. Apparently the drink is very popular in some parts of southern France, so okay, it’s a non-serious holiday wine that looks pretty in the pictures as it is a lovely color, but not one that we usually drink.
Blue wine has received press attention in such magazines as the British Decanter, as well as the American Food and Wine and Wine and Spirits. Reuters has also covered it. Let’s see where this trend leads. I’m sure the story isn’t over, and if the wine proves to be serious, PWS will have to introduce it to you.