TECHNICAL

BULLETIN
TECHNICAL
BULLETIN
15 OCTOBER 2003

ETS WINE COLOR ANALYSIS

New Capabilities
Wine color plays a significant role in the perception
of quality. Color is also a useful indicator for many
issues related to wine development.
ETS Laboratories has developed a tool that allows
winemakers to precisely monitor and record wine
color for purposes of research, product
consistency, and quality control.
When used regularly, as part of the winemaking
process, the Wine Color Analysis can help
winemakers confirm and document their own
impressions of color and build a valuable database
for long-term reference.
Quality Assurance
Maintaining lot-to-lot and vintage-to-vintage color
consistency is important to many wineries. ETS
Wine Color Analysis helps set quality control
parameters for acceptable color variation.
Color Monitoring
Color analysis allows wineries to document the
effect of fermentation variables on wine color.
Once a control or reference value has been
established, future analysis can compare the
results of one fermentation program to another.
Problem Solving
Wineries with on-going color problems can
document variation and identify when changes
occur by running a Wine Color Analysis at crush
and at regular intervals thereafter.

The Wine Spectra

Winemakers traditionally rely on a narrow
spectrum to quantify wine color specifically the
amount of light that wine absorbs at two key
wavelengths: 420 nm and 520 nm. Using these
values, winemakers can develop an impression
of a wine's redness, brownness, or yellowness.
ETS Wine Color Report includes these familiar
values along with their sum, ratio-estimates of
hue and total color.
Since the color of wine is determined by the
absorbance of light in the entire visible spectrum,
the report also includes an easy-to-read
representation of the wine's full spectra.
Visual documention of the entire visible spectrum
allows winemakers to immediately evaluate
420/520 measurements in the context of other
wavelengths that may significantly influence color
nuance.
Spectral Data
Wavelength
420 nm
520 nm
420 + 520
420/520

PN block 1
0.265
0.346
0.612
0.767

PN block 2
0.216
0.247
0.462
0.875

Wine Color
Analysis
CIELab Coordinates
Color-sensitive industries rely on the accuracy of
CIELab Tri-Coordinate Color Descriptions. The ETS
Wine Color Analysis applies these precision color
measurements to wine. The report presents CIELab
coordinates via a color plot map and a numeric table.
The CIELab system describes color with three
parameters. The parameters are L* = degree of
lightness, a* = red (+) to green (), b* = yellow (+) to
blue (). Standard calculations are Hue Angle
expressed as degrees from 0 (red) to 90 (yellow) to
270 (blue), and Chroma expressing the
measurement of hue intensity.

shown as a separate bar on the left, describes dark

(0) to light (100). The colored, curved perimeter of
the CIELab plot offers a quick indication of the
difference in hue between two samples. Hue
defines the category of color- (red, blue, orange,
etc.); chroma establishes how much of a particular
hue is present, that is, its intensity or saturation.

In
addition, the
Wine
Color Report
shows
the difference
between
two samples
at
several key
points of
comparison.
UL*, Ua* and Ub* are the difference in the L*, a* and
b* respectively. UE represents the total color
difference between the two samples and is often used
to define color tolerances in quality control programs.
The CIELab Plot map serves as a quick visual
presentation of results. The L* (lightness) coordinate,
CIELab Coordinates (illuminant D650)
Std obs 10
L*
a*
b*
Hue Angle
Chroma

PN block 1 PN block 2 UE = 8.2

80.2
20.4
4.0
11.2
29.3

85.3
14.1
5.3
20.7
20.8

UL*= 5.1
Ua*= 6.3
Ub*= 1.3

Analytical Details:
Methodology:
Equipment Used:
Sample Size Required:
Target Response Time:

ETS Laboratories

Spectral Analysis
UV/VIS Spectrophotometry
Representative 50 mL sample
2 working days from receipt of samples

899 Adams Street Suite A St. Helena, CA 94574 Tel: 707 963 4806
email: info@etslabs.com www.etslabs.com

Fax: 707 963 1054

FAQS
15 OCTOBER 2003

Wine Color Analysis

1. What is CIE ?
CIE is an abbreviation for the of the International
Commission on Illumination based on the French
title Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage.
The CIE is accepted as the best authority on the
subject colorimetry and is recognized by ISO as
an international body of standardization. The CIE
color measurement systems are recognized as the
ultimate standards for color communication.
2. What is CIELab ?
CIELab is a color measurement system adopted
by the CIE in 1976. It is based on a threedimensional color space. The system was
developed to represent color in a manner that is
consistent with human vision and proportional to
perceived color differences. The CIELab system
has been proposed as the new OIV standard for
wine color determination.
3. CIELab color system is sometimes referred to
as a tri-coordinate system and sometimes as a
tri-stimulus method. How are these related?
CIELab values describes the coordinates of a
specific color in a three dimensional space. There
are three axes: L* describing light to dark, b* for
blue to yellow, and a* for red to green. The three
coordinates were developed to mimic human color
perception. Color information received by the
human eye are translated into three distinct stimuli
between the optical nerve and the brain. The three
signals are light and dark, red and green, and blue
and yellow.
CIELAB
Tri-coordinate Model

4. What are hue and chroma?

Any point in the three dimensional CIELab color
space can be described by its L* a* and b*
coordinates. The same point can also be
described by L*, hue angle and chroma. Hue
angle is the angle of the line starting from the point
to the zero origin. Chroma is the length of the
same line.
Hue
chroma
to
color

angle and
both relate
human

perception. Hue is the attribute of color that is

related to the perceived colors: red, yellow, green
and blue or a combination of two of them. When
you are talking about a named color you are
usually referring to its hue. Chroma is defined as
the chromatic intensity of a surface judged in
comparison to a pure white. It is colorfulness. The
colors below are all the same lightness (L*) and
the same hue angle. They vary in chroma from
gray (chroma = 0)) to brilliant red (chroma = 104).
An interesting interactive demonstration of hue

Increasing chroma
angle, chroma and lightness can be found on a
link from the ETS website page on Color Analysis.
5. What is E*?
The difference between two colors can be
described by the total distance between those two
colors in the three dimensional CIELab color
space (E*). The units of E* were designed so
that a value of 1 would be equal to the least
difference likely to have commercial importance. It
is a commonly used value in quality control
programs as it encompasses differences in hue,
chroma and lightness. Differences in individual
CIELab components are also shown on the report
as L*, a* and b*.

Wine Color Analysis

7. What does std obs 10 mean?

ETS Color Chart

Shows how we combine three dimensions:
Lightness, Chroma, and Hue into a two
dimensional display.

Our eyes do not see color uniformly across our

entire field of vision. The very center of our eyes
have a greater concentration light-dark receptors
than color receptors. As a result, the size and/or
distance of an object can influence its perceived
color. The CIELab color system describes colors
for a standard observer with a 10 field of view
(std obs 10).
8. What is the difference between the 420:520
ratio measurement of hue and CIE hue angle?

Hue

The 420:520 hue ratio is based on two

wavelengths: the 420 nm indicating yellow and the
520 nm for red. In contrast, the CIE hue angle is
based on the entire wine spectra. Hue angle is
more descriptive of color nuance. As a result, it is
more sensitive to subtle changes in wine
chemistry and is a more accurate representation
of color present. What's more, the CIE hue angle
can describe any color. The 420:520 ratio is only
appropriate for red wines.
9. Can you compare the same wine at two
different dates?
Yes, wine color information can be databased at
ETS and retrieved for comparison against itself at
different points in the wines life cycle. The key lies
in the timing of the initial sample. Wines should be
analyzed when they go to barrel to track color
development during aging. Analysis performed at
bottling provides a reference point for tracking
changes in color after shipment.
10. Can you analyze turbid or cloudy wines?

6. What does Illuminant D650 mean?

The color of an observed object is influenced by
the observation conditions. Just as the color of a
paint chip would appear different under
fluorescent lighting, incandescent lights, full
sunlight or a cloudy sky, so the color of wine is
affected by the viewing conditions. The CIELab
coordinates represent color under precisely
defined illumination conditions. D650 is one of
the illumination choices. It represents the
perceived color under a neutral gray sky. It has
been chosen by the OIV as the standard
illuminant for wine color description.

ETS Laboratories

Turbidity scatters light and can interfere with

accurate measurement. Turbid samples- such as
fermenting wines- should be centrifuged prior to
analysis to remove particulates. Some very turbid
samples- juices, for instance- may require filtration
after centrifugation. Turbidity issues and any
resulting treatments are always flagged and
detailed in the comments section of the report.
11. Does this report work for white wines?
Yes, the report is extremely valuable for white
wines. The CIE coordinates, hue angle, and
chroma data provide very accurate descriptions of
white wine colors, making up for the fact that 520
nm information has little relevance to white wines.

899 Adams Street Suite A St. Helena, CA 94574 Tel: 707 963 4806
email: info@etslabs.com www.etslabs.com

Fax: 707 963 1054