What two colors make wine?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for wine?

Chromilla uses #5E2233 as the target for wine. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #551F30.

Can I mix wine without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre.

How to Mix Wine in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix wine (#5E2233) in watercolor, use 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Wine

#5E2233

Predicted dry result

95% match when dry

Mix to #5D2232 while wet. It dries to about #551F30.

Wine in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Viridian Green	PG18	8	48%	48 ml
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	7	40%	40 ml
Yellow Ochre	PY43	2	12%	12 ml

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A dark red wine color. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #5E2233 in watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for watercolor. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Viridian Green
PG18
48%
2. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
40%
3. Yellow Ochre
PY43
12%

What colors make Wine?

Viridian Green, Alizarin Crimson, and Yellow Ochre, in roughly a 48:40:12 ratio.

How to make Wine in watercolor

Start with Viridian Green at about 48% as your watercolor base, then work in Alizarin Crimson and Yellow Ochre in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #5E2233.

Why mix Wine instead of buying it

Mixing Wine yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Wine across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

Overshooting on Viridian Green is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.

Variations on Wine

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Wine

#763848

8 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Wine

#460B1F

5 parts Alizarin Crimson to 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Wine

#5F2228

5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Wine

#5B233D

67% Alizarin Crimson, 23% Ultramarine Blue and 10% Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Wine questions

What two colors make wine?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make wine paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter wine (#763848) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 8 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for wine?: Chromilla uses #5E2233 as the target for wine. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #551F30.
Can I mix wine without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre.

Wine in other mediums

Wine in Acrylic: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre, predicted 94% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Wine in Oil: 8 parts Viridian Green, 7 parts Alizarin Crimson and 2 parts Yellow Ochre, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Wine + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.