Step 2 of 6

Crush & press

This is where red and white wine split. For white wine, the grapes are crushed and the juice is pressed off the skins immediately — that's why most whites are pale and low in tannin.

For red wine, the opposite. The crushed grapes — skins, seeds, juice — all go into a tank together. The skins are what give red wine its color and most of its flavor.

Rosé is the in-between: red grapes crushed like reds, but skins removed after just a few hours.

Grapes going through a destemmer-crusher machine, purple juice running, modern stainless steel equipment
Stems out, skins broken. The first split in red vs white winemaking.