Which statement describes the direct press method's effect on rosé color?

• A. It yields some of the lightest-colored rosés
• B. It yields some of the darkest rosés
• C. It yields typical red wine color
• D. It yields no color change

Answer: (A)

Direct pressing limits contact between the juice and grape skins, so very little color is extracted. The pink hue in rosé comes from pigments released from the skins during maceration, and with minimal skin contact you get far less pigment, producing the lightest rosé shades. Other methods involve longer skin contact, which pulls more pigment and yields darker rosés or even red wine color. The idea of no color change isn’t accurate, since some pigment is always extracted when skins are involved, and producing typical red wine color would require much more skin contact. So direct pressing yields some of the lightest-colored rosés.