Note: This article was written by a guest contributor to BevWire and does not reflect the views / advice of the BevWire staff.
Introduction
There’s a component in modern winemaking that doesn’t get much attention outside industry circles, but it plays a role in how many wines taste, look, and feel. It’s commonly referred to as Mega Purple, and after nearly two decades in the wine business, I think anyone who drinks wine should understand what it is, what it does, and why its use is growing.
From a technical standpoint, Mega Purple is a highly concentrated grape extract made from a grape called Rubired. It’s used in small amounts to adjust a wine’s profile by deepening colour, increasing perceived sweetness, and enhancing body and mouthfeel. In essence, it helps a wine present as richer, darker, and more consistent. According to The Daily Beast, Mega Purple is estimated to be added to over 25 million bottles of wine annually, and more wineries are reaching for it than ever before.
Where I first started noticing it
I noticed the shift in the $10 to $20 price range, where big brands were becoming more about the label than the style of wine inside the bottle. Apothic is a good example. There’s no real structure to it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t sell, because it does, and it sells well. But you can’t depict the primary grape variety in wines like that. They’re manufactured to be people-pleasing, easy drinking, and consistent from bottle to bottle. In the industry, we call them “international style” wines, shaped toward a global profile rather than a distinct sense of place or grape variety.
I first saw it heavily in the U.S. market, then in South America. I remember being in Argentina and mentioning a wine called Fusion to some local producers. They laughed. They said they don’t even call that wine where they’re from. They export it to non-wine drinkers. And I want to be careful here, because if that’s what someone likes, that’s what they like. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I do think people should understand what they’re drinking and how it got to taste that way.
Why use is increasing
Winemaking today operates at the intersection of agriculture, craftsmanship, and global demand. Mega Purple offers producers a tool to maintain consistency across vintages, adjust wines that may lack ripeness or concentration, align with consumer preferences for bold, smooth, fruit-forward styles, and extend volume beyond what the raw fruit alone might deliver.
And that ability to extend volume is worth paying attention to, because like many tools in modern production, it can be used with restraint, or it can push a wine further than it might naturally go.
The reasons for the increase aren’t simple. Grapes that didn’t ripen properly due to environmental changes need help, and producers whose consumers love that manufactured, fruit-forward flavour have every incentive to deliver it. Others use it to preserve wines longer or compensate for a difficult growing season. Is it a little bit of all those reasons? Probably. And the number of wineries reaching for it keeps climbing.
How to spot it in your glass
You can tell when Mega Purple is present. Look for a pronounced jammy or syrup-like fruit character, strong upfront flavour with a shorter finish, difficulty distinguishing grape variety or origin (particularly in blends), and a deep, opaque colour with noticeable staining. These characteristics are not inherently negative. In fact, they align with what many drinkers actively enjoy. But they do tell you something about how that wine was shaped before it reached your glass.
What this means for the wines we drink
My brother came to visit recently and brought two bottles of non-alcoholic wine. My first thought was, “Oh no, we’re losing another one to the no-drinking movement.” But then he said something that stayed with me. He woke up feeling great the next morning, paused, and said, “What did I actually put in my body? I didn’t even look at the label. I have no idea how much sugar was in those two bottles.” That conversation stuck with me because it applies to all wine, not only the non-alcoholic kind. We’ve entered an era where people are more conscious about what goes into their bodies, and wine shouldn’t get a free pass.
Consider the difference in what’s even allowed. As Wine-Searcher reported, there are 76 FDA-approved additives for winemaking in the U.S. The European Union permits 59, according to Dry Farm Wines, and unlike the U.S., the EU has required full ingredient disclosure on every bottle sold since 2023. That’s a pretty significant difference in how much you’re allowed to know about what you’re drinking. Maybe, sometimes, it’s worth going back to old world winemaking techniques rather than assuming there’s always a better, more modern way to do things. Maybe those techniques were the right way all along.
With U.S. wines becoming less accessible in Canada due to tariffs, many of the customers at The Pourium, the company I own which is one of Canada’s fastest-growing retail and e-commerce wine brands, have been exploring wines from other regions for the first time. And something interesting is happening. Once people move away from that heavy, fruit-forward style and their palates adjust, they start tasting wine differently. The shift has been significant enough that I’ll be surprised if many of them go back. Once your palate changes, it changes.
The key is awareness
The presence of Mega Purple, or similar tools, doesn’t automatically define a wine’s quality. It reflects a stylistic and production choice. Some wines aim to express terroir, vintage variation, and subtlety. Others are crafted for consistency, accessibility, and immediate appeal. Both exist for a reason.
My wish for anyone who drinks wine is to be more open and more curious. Start drinking outside the box. Don’t assume you know everything about what’s in your glass because, right now, things are changing faster than most people realize. Explore different regions. Try different grape varieties. Ask questions about how a wine was produced and who made it.
Because when you understand how a wine is shaped, you’re better equipped to decide what you value in the glass, whether that’s precision, power, authenticity, or approachability. And that’s really what elevates the experience from simply drinking wine to understanding it, and then landing on what you actually like.
Kate Holden is the founder of The Pourium, a retail and e-commerce wine business based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is the Regional Council Chair for Entrepreneurs’ Organization Canada and has spent nearly two decades in the wine industry.