Fall is here and we can shift our focus to different wines this season. So put away your rosé and get out the orange wine to try something new – but actually very old!
You may have seen “Orange Wine” on a wine list or a friend’s Instagram post and wondered what it is and how it is made. And what about that color? Is it made with oranges? Is coloring added, or red wine, to make it orange? Well, here’s the scoop on this unusual wine.
It may even seem like a new trend, but in reality this type of wine has been around for a very long time. It is believed that it originated back in 6000 B.C. in the Eastern European wine producing country of Georgia, but it has also been produced for hundreds of years in Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (northeastern Italy).
Over thousands of years, orange wine fell into obscurity. But a recent resurgence started around 20 years ago, and wine lovers everywhere rediscovered this unusual style of wine. Like many popular wines, aficionados and sommeliers alike are drawn to this ancient style of winemaking and its very natural process that gives a beautiful color and unusual flavors.
While Georgian, Slovenian, and Italian orange wines are the original and most well-known, other wine regions, such as Australia, South Africa, and New York in the United States are producing some really exciting orange wines as well.
How Is Orange Wine Made?
Orange wine, also known as skin-contact white wine, skin-fermented white wine, or amber wine, is a type of wine made from white grapes where the grape skins are not removed, as in typical white wine production, and stay in contact with the juice for days or even months. White grapes are crushed, then put in a large vessel (often cement or ceramic), where the grapes ferment for days to sometimes over a year (1 to 6 months being most common) without being pressed off the skins. This is a natural process that uses little to no additives, sometimes not even added yeast.
This contrasts with conventional white wine production, which involves crushing the grapes and quickly moving the juice. Without contact with grape skins, the outcome will be white wine. So, orange wine is a type of white wine that’s made similarly to red wine. Most skin-contact wines are more of non-interventionist style of white winemaking.
Traditional Georgian Winemaking Techniques
In Georgia this large clay vessel is called a Qvevri, or kvevri. They are large, egg-shaped terracotta clay pots used for the fermentation and maturation of wine. Even now qvevri are constructed using some of the original techniques developed with the birth of pottery many thousands of years ago.
The clay vessels are buried in the ground for stability and provide a longer maceration period for grapes on fermenting must, which would otherwise cause wine to spoil above ground. The extended maceration period develops an increase in aroma and flavor profiles in qvevri wines.
While the crushed grapes are fermenting, they take on a more tannic attributes from their skins and seeds. The deep color of orange wine, which can range from a golden yellow to orange, to even bright amber, comes from lignin in grape seeds. The skin contact means that orange wines are complex and higher in tannins, but they maintain that refreshing quality we expect in white wine. Because of how it is made, orange wine may contain more beneficial plant compounds than other white wines. Its potential benefits include slowing mental decline and reducing your risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
Read my article to learn more about Georgian wine culture.
What Do Orange Wines Taste Like?
Because of the unique way the wine is made, in contact with the skin for a short or long period of time, they taste very different from regular white wines and have a sour taste and nuttiness from oxidation. Generally, orange wines are described as being robust and full-bodied with a great depth of flavor like a red wine and the refreshing qualities of a white wine. Because orange wine is made from a range of white grape varieties, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact flavor profile of orange wines, as each variety will taste different from the last. However, due to the presence of grape skins in its production, orange wine is much higher in tannins than white wines. This results in wines which are complex and interesting.
Common tasting notes include bruised apple, jackfruit, apricot, sourdough bread, hazelnut, honey and even wood varnish. But the actual characteristics will depend on what grape variety is used to create the orange wine. Remember, this is a style of wine, like rosé, not a specific wine like Chardonnay.
Types of Orange Wine
Orange wines are very popular in Italy, so it will be no surprise that some of the most available orange wines are made from traditional Italian wine grapes. Friuli in Northern Italy is especially famous for these amber wines.
Orange Pinot Grigio is a popular choice, worth experimenting with. This style of Pinot Grigio (or Pinot Gris, depending on where you are) is known for honeysuckle, stone fruit, and citrus tasting notes. It may be labeled with the term “Ramato,” which means “auburn,” in Italian, and typically refers to Italian Pinot Grigio made in an orange wine style.
Orange Sauvignon Blanc is also one to look out for. Known for its tasting notes of apricot, saffron, and orange peel, this variety is best when it’s dry.
Orange Riesling is a unique wine. While some may love its complex sour flavors, others will find the tart, beer-like experience a little strange from a wine.
Georgia, where they tend to refer to the wine as “amber”, has more than 500 varieties of grapes, though only 45 or so are grown commercially. Varieties like Krakhuna produces flavors of stone fruits with slightly herbaceous and floral notes, while Rkatsiteli is spicier with more honeyed tones. Kisi’s earthy apricot flavors imbued with those classic ‘amber’ tannic structures can taste as though you’re walking through an autumn forest. Although harder to locate, try one of these wines from the original home of skin contact white wines.
Serving Orange Wine
The temperature you serve orange wine will depend on the wine varietal you’re drinking.
While most white wines are best enjoyed cool, but not too cold, some fuller-bodied wines can be enjoyed at a slightly higher temperature. Dessert orange wines and sparkling orange wines are best served chilled.
Best Foods To Pair With Orange Wines
While grape varieties will play a large part in how you pair your orange wine, generally these lovely amber wines are a little harder to pair than white wines. This is due to their complex flavors and their nutty qualities. But, orange wines are a great accompaniment to vibrant Asian-inspired dishes.
Because of their boldness, orange wines pair well with equally bold foods, including Indian or Thai curries, Moroccan cuisine, Korean dishes with fermented kimchi (Bibimbap), and traditional Japanese cuisine, especially with fermented soy or wasabi. Due to the high phenolic content (tannin and bitterness) and the nutty tartness they exhibit, orange wines pair with a wide variety of meats, ranging from beef to fish.
Want to delve deeper into the world of Orange Wine? These articles offer many suggestions from around the world that you can try:
