Mega Purple is Everywhere!

Depending on your point-of-view, there is a secret ingredient to help many wines look better or there is fakery and dishonest business practices by many wineries. 

Mega Purple is concentrated grape juice added to wine. It's made from a hybrid grape called Rubired (sometimes called Tenturier).

 

What is Mega Purple?

It's a highly concentrated food additive, so Mega Purple will not hurt you, as it's just concentrated grape juice.

It's made from a cheap red hybrid grape grown on cheap land in California's Central Valley. About five percent of grapes crushed by tonnage last year were Rubired, a substantial increase from the previous year. That's almost ten percent of all California red wine!

Why is it Used?

Color is a main reason as it gives a wine a dark inky purple hue that is what many people think a red wine should always look like. Mega Purple is also very sweet so it'll add a roundness to the wine and a bit of sweetness, also something that many consumers like. 

Some will blend other grape varieties instead to get what they consider a proper color. A couple of decades ago, a few Southern California wineries got in a bit of trouble with some of their customers when it was discovered they were blending a bit of Syrah into their Pinot Noir to darken it and add body. I'm so old, I remember when you could see through a glass of Pinot!

Anyone trained in picking out Mega Purple in a wine will say it doesn't add flavor per se, but does add its own fruit component and that it has a noticeable smell. That smell is described as wild and musky, similar to the smell of some native American grapes. How easy this is to pick out, even to the experts, depends on the concentration of Mega Purple in a wine.

Where is it Used?

Mega Purple is found in inexpensive red wines, and it's the reason so many of these look and taste similar. You'll find it in cheaper Pinot Noir -- and some of the more expensive, nationally popular Pinots. Not to mention Cabernet and other wines. Yes, even some of the expensive ones from Napa.

It's used to make many of the popular premium California wines, although the wineries and winemakers won't admit it. These wines tend to be very purple in color and a bit sweet compared to other premium red wines.

If there is any one good reason to require ingredient labeling on wine, it is to expose this business practice.

Mega Purple needs to die!