# Burgundy gradient: rich wine and maroon codes

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/maroon-gradient)

Burgundy is red that has grown up. It reads as wine, velvet and old libraries, and it goes brown the moment you blend it carelessly. These codes stay rich.

## The short version

- A burgundy gradient blends deep purplish reds such as #800020, #7f1d3a and #4a0e1f, often towards near black, rose, blush or gold.
- Burgundy leans towards purple and maroon leans towards brown, and that small difference decides whether a gradient feels like wine or like rust.
- Burgundy gradients turn muddy when they are blended into green, olive or a warm grey, so pass through rose, plum or near black instead.
- Cream and warm off white text reads very well on burgundy, and gold works as an accent rather than as body text.
- Burgundy suits wine, hospitality, beauty, autumn and winter campaigns, invitations and any brand that wants red without urgency.

A **burgundy gradient** blends deep, slightly purple reds: classic burgundy `#800020`, wine `#7f1d3a` and dark oxblood `#4a0e1f`, usually fading into near black, softening into rose and blush, or lit with a touch of gold. The trick to keeping it rich is to blend burgundy only with its relatives, reds, roses, plums and very dark browns, and to give it a cream or gold partner instead of white. Below you will find the codes, the differences between burgundy, maroon and wine, and the text colours that work.

## Burgundy, maroon, wine and oxblood: what is the difference

People use these names loosely, but they lean in different directions, and the direction matters when you build a gradient. Burgundy and wine lean towards purple, so they blend gracefully into plum and rose. Maroon and oxblood lean towards brown, so they sit well with leather, tan and brass. If your gradient looks like rust, you have probably mixed a brown maroon with a cool pink.

- Cellar: #2a0a12
- Oxblood: #4a0e1f
- Maroon: #800000
- Burgundy: #800020
- Wine: #7f1d3a
- Garnet: #9f1239
- Dusty rose: #be7c8c
- Blush: #e8b4b8

The deep red family from cellar dark to blush. Maroon is the brownest of the set; wine and garnet are the most purple.

## Deep burgundy gradient codes

The most useful burgundy gradients are dark: a near black ground with wine light rising through it. They feel expensive because there is very little bright colour, and what there is glows. Keep the lightest red away from where the words will sit.

- Cellar to burgundy: `linear-gradient(160deg, #2a0a12 0%, #4a0e1f 45%, #800020 100%)`
- Candlelit wine: `radial-gradient(circle at 70% 25%, #9f1239 0%, #4a0e1f 40%, #14050a 80%)`
- Maroon leather: `linear-gradient(135deg, #800000 0%, #4a0e1f 55%, #1c0a08 100%)`
- Velvet curtain: `radial-gradient(ellipse at 50% 100%, #7f1d3a 0%, #3b0a1c 45%, #0f0508 85%)`

Four dark burgundy gradients. Each holds its brightest red in one place, leaving a quiet dark area for type.

These live close to the darker end of [red gradients](https://gradiently.design/guide/red-gradient), but with less fire and more depth. Dark reds band easily in compressed images, so add a little grain before you export.

## Burgundy with gold, blush and plum

Burgundy rarely works alone for long. Its classic partners each change the mood. Gold makes it formal and celebratory. Blush makes it romantic and soft. Plum makes it moody and modern. Navy, placed beside it rather than blended in, makes it collegiate.

- Burgundy and gold: `linear-gradient(135deg, #4a0e1f 0%, #800020 82%, #d4a24c 100%)`
- Wine to blush: `linear-gradient(180deg, #7f1d3a 0%, #be7c8c 55%, #f5dede 100%)`
- Plum to burgundy: `linear-gradient(120deg, #3b0764 0%, #6b1d4a 50%, #800020 100%)`
- Rose in the dark: `radial-gradient(circle at 20% 80%, #e8b4b8 0%, #9f1239 40%, #2a0a12 85%)`

Burgundy with its four best companions. Gold stays a short edge, and the other blends keep to reds, pinks and purples, so nothing turns brown.

The burgundy and gold pairing is the easiest to overdo. Keep gold to a sliver at one edge or to the type, and it reads as fine wine rather than costume. For more on dark gold, see [black and gold gradients](https://gradiently.design/guide/black-and-gold-gradient).

## How to keep a burgundy gradient from going brown

1. **Pick a direction: purple or brown** Decide whether your burgundy leans wine or leans leather, and keep every colour in the gradient leaning the same way.
2. **Darken towards near black, not grey** A burgundy fading into a warm grey looks dusty. Fade into a red tinted black like `#14050a` and it stays rich.
3. **Never blend into green or olive** Green is opposite red on the colour wheel, so the middle of the blend goes grey brown. [Muddy gradients](https://gradiently.design/guide/muddy-gradients) shows the effect.
4. **Lift with rose, not orange** To make burgundy lighter, step through garnet and dusty rose. Orange pulls it towards rust.
5. **Add fine grain** Deep reds compress badly and band in steps. A light noise layer keeps the surface smooth, and makes it feel like velvet or paper.

## Text colours on a burgundy gradient

Burgundy is dark enough that light text reads easily on almost all of it. Pure white can feel stark, though; a warm cream keeps the whole design soft. Gold reads well on the darkest reds and is lovely for a name or a date, but use it in large sizes. Ratios below use the WCAG formula, where 4.5:1 is the usual minimum for small text.

| Background | Text | Contrast | Use for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Burgundy `#800020` | White `#ffffff` | 10.8:1 | Any text |
| Wine `#7f1d3a` | Cream `#fdf2e9` | 8.9:1 | Any text, softer feel |
| Oxblood `#4a0e1f` | Cream `#fdf2e9` | 13.9:1 | Any text |
| Cellar `#2a0a12` | Gold `#d4a24c` | 7.9:1 | Names, dates, headlines |
| Blush `#e8b4b8` | Oxblood `#4a0e1f` | 8.5:1 | Dark ink on the light end |
| Dusty rose `#be7c8c` | White `#ffffff` | 3.3:1 | Large headlines only |

If your gradient runs from burgundy to blush, the words need to stay on one end or switch ink where they cross.

A portrait event post for a wine tasting night with cream lettering over a dark burgundy gradient

A wine bar post on a deep burgundy ground with cream type.

A save the date invitation with burgundy fading into blush and dark lettering on the pale end

A 5×7 in invitation where burgundy softens into blush.

Both designs keep their words on one end of the blend. [Text on a gradient](https://gradiently.design/guide/text-on-gradient) explains how to handle a line that has to cross from dark to light.

## A burgundy gradient background in CSS

```css
.section--wine {
  background-color: #2a0a12;
  background-image:
    radial-gradient(circle at 75% 20%, #9f1239 0%, transparent 45%),
    radial-gradient(circle at 10% 95%, #4a0e1f 0%, transparent 55%),
    linear-gradient(160deg, #2a0a12 0%, #800020 100%);
  color: #fdf2e9;
}

.section--wine .accent {
  color: #d4a24c;
}
```

A dark cellar ground, garnet light at the top right, oxblood shadow at the bottom left, cream text and a gold accent.

Layered radial gradients over a linear base give burgundy the depth of fabric rather than the flatness of a fill. The same idea in more detail is in [CSS radial gradients](https://gradiently.design/guide/css-radial-gradient).

## Where burgundy works

Burgundy carries red's warmth without its urgency, which is why it rarely appears on sale banners and often appears on menus, invitations and labels. It suits wine bars and restaurants, beauty and fragrance, bookshops, universities, winter and festive campaigns, and autumn collections. It also pairs naturally with the [earth tone colour palettes](https://gradiently.design/guide/earth-tone-colors) many lifestyle brands use, as the deep accent among tans and olives.

If you want a deep red look that is genuinely yours rather than a hex code anyone can copy, browse burgundy and wine Marks in Gradiently's Market by typing a colour word like "wine". Each Mark is unique, renders at every size you need and keeps your words readable on its darkest and lightest parts.

## FAQ

### What is the hex code for burgundy?

Classic burgundy is `#800020`. Wine sits around `#7f1d3a` and darker oxblood around `#4a0e1f`.

### What is the difference between burgundy and maroon?

Burgundy leans slightly purple, like red wine. Maroon, `#800000`, leans slightly brown. That difference decides which colours each blends well with.

### What colours go with a burgundy gradient?

Gold, blush, dusty rose, plum, cream and near black all work. Navy works beside burgundy, but avoid blending it into green or olive, which turns muddy.

### What text colour goes on burgundy?

Cream or white reads very well on burgundy, at around 9:1 to 11:1 contrast. Gold suits headlines and names on the darkest reds.

### Why does my burgundy gradient look brown?

It is probably blending into orange, olive or a warm grey, or mixing a brown maroon with a cool pink. Keep every stop leaning the same way and fade into a red tinted black.