There's a lot of discussion over past usage of colors that seem off to us today. The problem is that in order to have a good idea of what was meant we would need to have the writers experience with what their wine and their honey look like. Food, particularly produce items, change with time. On top of that, what we're reading has been translated and certain nuances can be lost in that. Describing something as "honeyed" may have meant a muddled color that was softened, thus a honey green might be a very soft olive. There are thoughts that "Wine-dark sea" might have more to do with the slight foaming on top being familiar or something that occurred to the tone when their wine was cut down. The sea is not always a blue or green tone, and can easily be tinted by mud, silt, or even sea life as well. Even looking at more recent usage, the term "Wine Yellow" in 1814 was described as "sulphur mixed with reddish brown and grey, and much snow white." Wine itself was described as a maroon color during the same period, but the term "wine yellow" has fallen out of usage.

A more recent example of colors changing is that of the color Cherry. Most often today it's used to describe a rather vibrant red like a maraschino cherry. But those didn't exist until the late 19th century, so the term cherry would have referred to a dark, brownish red like a natural cherry.