Ampelique · Grape Colours
Black Grapes
Blue-black, violet, inky, and almost opaque-skinned varieties in the Ampelique grape library.
Black grapes are the darkest visual family in the vineyard. Their berries can appear deep blue, purple-black, violet, inky, or almost opaque, often softened by the pale bloom that sits on the skin at full ripeness.
Visual range
Blue-black, violet, inky, opaque
Black grapes often look blue, purple, violet, or nearly black rather than purely black. Their colour is shaped by skin pigment, waxy bloom, ripeness, and the way light falls on the cluster.
In the vineyard
Dark skins, many personalities
Black grapes can be fragrant and delicate, dense and structured, spicy, earthy, floral, or deeply fruit-driven. Dark colour is a beginning, not the full personality.
Good to know
Black and red are close neighbours
Many so-called black grapes are also described as red wine grapes. Ampelique uses black for the darkest berry colours, while keeping the category practical and easy to browse.
Explore another colour
Start here
Start with these black grapes
A small, useful doorway into the black grape family: dark-skinned classics, structured varieties, and grapes that carry strong vineyard presence.
Cabernet Sauvignon
A deeply coloured classic with small berries, firm skins, structure, and one of the world’s strongest varietal identities.
Syrah
A dark-skinned grape with violet-black berries, peppery depth, and a powerful sense of place.
Malbec
A dark, expressive grape with generous fruit, colour depth, and a strong modern identity across regions.
Worth discovering
Black grapes worth discovering
Beyond the famous names, black grapes hold a world of regional depth: mountain varieties, old local cultivars, thick-skinned grapes, and dark berries shaped by sun, soil, and tradition.
Aglianico
A southern Italian black grape with firm structure, volcanic associations, and a slow, serious character.
Touriga Nacional
A compact, dark-skinned Portuguese grape with floral intensity, structure, and a strong national identity.
Tannat
A dark, thick-skinned grape known for tannic strength, deep colour, and a firmly structured personality.
Looking for something specific?
Search the full grape library
Colour is a gentle way in, but the full library lets you search by name, country, style, and curiosity.
Black grape index
All black grape profiles
A compact A–Z index of black grape varieties currently available in the Ampelique library.
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BLACK GRAPES
Ampelique · Grape Colours Black Grapes Blue-black, violet, inky, and almost opaque-skinned varieties in the Ampelique grape library.… Read more
Keep exploring
Colour is only one way into the grape world
Move from colour to country, alphabet, or the full grape library to discover how each variety carries its own place, shape, history, and vineyard character.
A living archive of grape character, growing one variety at a time.
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