What began as a playful experiment with wine and a pointed pen turned into one of my all-time favorite creative breakthroughs! Today, I’ll show you exactly how to write calligraphy with red wine—complete with a tried-and-true recipe.
Imagine you’ve just bought a pristine white sofa. Now, think of the liquids you’d never let near it. Congratulations: you’ve just listed some of the best candidates for pointed pen calligraphy ink! Today, I’m going to show you how to tame one of the most feared liquids in upholstery lore—red wine—and turn it into something beautiful. With a few tweaks, it can become a dusky, romantic ink that sparks curiosity and conversation.
You’ll need some dark red wine (or a similar liquid like pomegranate juice), watercolor or drawing paper, gum arabic, and a small jar to start. Be sure to grab a pen holder and a Brause Rose nib, too. (I like to use an oblique pen with the Brause Rose. You can snag an imperfect one for cheap here.)
The Brause Rose nib is key here because it’s not known for delicate hairline strokes — and that’s exactly what we want. This nib is perfect because it produces thicker upstrokes, which helps compensate for how light and translucent wine ink tends to be.
Begin by pouring wine into the jar, leaving a bit of space at the top. Try using your Brause Rose nib to write with the wine to see how it performs.
Be sure to give the wine a couple of minutes to dry before you judge. If you feel like the ink needs a little more presence, try mixing some gum arabic into it. Gum arabic will increase the viscosity of the wine and slow the ink’s absorption into the paper, which results in crisper lines. Once you’ve added some gum arabic, give the ink another test.
After the second test, you can try adding a little more gum arabic if you like; but don’t add too much. A little bit of gum arabic boosts the ink’s sheen, but too much impedes the wine’s ability to stain the paper. This makes the red wine a bit too sheer, especially on the upstrokes.
If you just can’t get the ink to be opaque enough, reduce it in a pan! Evaporating some of the water out will result in a deep, richly colored ink that rivals the vibrancy of commercial inks. If you do this, however, adding gum arabic to the wine is a non-negotiable. (More on that in the “tips” section.)
This ink won’t last forever — since red wine is an organic material, it’s prone to spoilage. Expect it to stay usable for a week or two at room temperature before it starts to mold. If you store it in the fridge, you may get a couple of months out of it. In the meantime, use your ink-wine freely to create romantic envelopes, playful drills, or fun sketchbook pages.
For wedding envelopes, red wine calligraphy would make an unexpectedly perfect ink. The gentle, vintage look of the calligraphy captures the feeling of love letters — and it doesn’t hurt that red wine already plays a starring role at most celebrations.
1. Darken Your Strokes – Once your piece dries, you may notice strokes that appear too faint. Just go over those areas with a second stroke to deepen the stain and add dimension.
2. Always Waterproof Your Red Wine Envelopes – Ironically, while red wine is notorious for ruining clothes, it’s surprisingly easy to lift off paper. That means red wine calligraphy is vulnerable — even a few raindrops can erase your hard work. Be sure to waterproof any wine-inked envelopes before they leave your hands!
3. Always Add Gum Arabic to Reduced Wine – Unreduced wine has a built-in superpower: it stains paper. That means your lettering usually stays put, even without additives. But when you reduce wine to intensify its color, it becomes syrupy — and that syrup can smudge once dry. I learned this the hard way after calligraphing an envelope for this post. Every downstroke smeared as I erased my pencil guidelines! Thankfully, a small amount of gum arabic helps the reduced wine bind to the paper and dry with integrity.
4. Choose a Wine with a Deep Color – Not all wines are created equal when it comes to using them as ink. Look for a full-bodied red with deep pigmentation (like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah) for the best results. If you have multiple wines, give them all a try!
5. Use Paper with Some Tooth – Watercolor paper or high-quality drawing paper works best. These surfaces allow the wine to stain gracefully, helping the lines feel more defined.
I’m happy to write with most deep red wines straight from the bottle—especially if I have time to reinforce lighter strokes. That said, while writing this article, I developed a simple recipe that yields a wine “ink” more beautiful than any commercial burgundy ink I’ve ever used. I’m very pleased to share it with you below!
To make gorgeous red wine ink, you’ll need:
Here’s the process:
Some projects feel like cozy secrets passed between friends—and this one’s mine to you. I tinkered, tested, and scribbled for three days to turn a glass of wine into something magical. I could only do that because of your support of TPK Premium. So thank you, truly, for giving me the time and freedom to create with care. Have fun, and happy writing!
Warmly,
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