During the wonderful moment of tasting red wine, some friends who are new to the wine world may encounter an episode that is both surprising and slightly worrying – after drinking red wine, their tongue or lips turn a mysterious purple-black color. This makes people wonder, is there something wrong with the quality of the wine? In fact, this phenomenon is not only completely normal, but also contains many interesting scientific secrets!
First, let’s focus on the charming skin of red grapes. The rich color of red grapes depends on a magical substance called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins, as the leader in the water-soluble flavonoid pigment family, are not only the magician of color changes in the fruit world, allowing fruits to appear from red to purple, or even black under certain conditions, they are also the main source of the color of red wine. .
When these anthocyanin-rich grapes are carefully brewed into wine, a wonderful dyeing process quietly takes place. The grape skins are soaked in the grape juice for a long time during the fermentation process, just like a careful painter, integrating their rich colors into the juice bit by bit. In this way, the originally clear grape juice is covered with a charming red coat, ultimately achieving the fascinating color of red wine.
And this natural color is not satisfied with just decorating the liquid in the bottle, it also likes to have an intimate contact with our tongues and lips. The anthocyanins in red wine have a very strong affinity and can easily leave their traces on these parts. So, when we look in the mirror after enjoying a glass of mellow red wine, we will be surprised (or surprised) to find that our tongues and lips have quietly turned into small purple-black works of art.
What is even more unexpected is that the degree of blackening of the tongue can actually reflect the quality of the wine to a certain extent. Generally speaking, if a red wine leaves your tongue unusually dark, it often means that the grapes used to make it are extremely ripe and therefore contain more anthocyanins. Such wines tend to have a richer flavor and fuller taste, making them a treasure in the eyes of wine lovers.
So, next time you are tasting red wine and find that your tongue or lips have turned purple, you might as well accept this gift from nature, have fun with it, and share this interesting discovery with your friends. Bar! Because this is not only a manifestation of the charm of red wine, but also a small display of the wonderful science of nature.
