What is Orange Wine? A Guide To Orange Wine

Discover how it’s made, it’s characteristics and how to best pair it with food.

White, red, rosé…or orange wine? Forget your traditional options, and try something different: orange wine. But what is orange wine?
Orange wine, also known as skin-contact or amber wine, isn’t made from oranges as the name might suggest. Rather, it’s a captivating product resulting from an ancient winemaking technique that has recently surged in popularity. This technique produces wine with intriguing amber, rich hues and bold flavors. But what exactly is this orange wine? How is it made? How does it differ from other wines? And how best to enjoy it?
Whether you’re a seasoned oenophile or a curious newcomer, orange wine promises to be an interesting surprise (and delight).

A Timeless Tradition Reborn

Orange wine boasts a lineage as old as wine itself with roots tracing back thousands of years to Eastern Europe, particularly to ancient Georgia. There, winemakers used clay vessels called qvevri for fermentation and aging. The process involves leaving grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice for an extended period, imparting the wine’s characteristic amber color and a spectrum of flavors. Today, this ancient technique experiences a global renaissance, championed by natural winemakers seeking authentic expressions beyond mainstream styles.

Production Process: Skin-Contact

Orange wine is made from white grapes. So, why the orange color? The reason is to be found in the skin-contact winemaking technique. Crafting orange wine involves white grapes but employs a method more aligned with red wine production. After harvesting, the grapes undergo a maceration process where the skins stay in contact with the juice for days, weeks, or even months. This extended skin contact allows for the extraction of tannins, compounds, and phenols, contributing to its distinct taste and color.

Regions and Notable Varieties

While Georgia remains a significant producer, other regions like Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy, Slovenia and more recently California, Croatia and Australia have gained prominence. These areas have become notable for producing orange wines crafted from distinct varieties like Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay, each contributing a unique profile to this intriguing style of winemaking.

Several wines have gained acclaim in recent years. Radikon’s “Jakot” from Friuli (Italy) stands out for its complexity and structure. Gravner’s “Breg” showcases a distinctive character shaped by long maceration in clay vessels seen below.

What Does Orange Wine Taste Like?

Like all wines, taste will vary depending on a variety of factors, from the grape varietal, skin-contact duration, climate and soil, to the winemaker’s style.

Generally, orange wines are describes as being full-bodied like red wine but with the refreshing qualities of white wine. Some wines might even taste like sour beer.
The most common characteristics of orange wine are:

• Full-bodied:
  Unlike most white wines, they tend to be richer and heavier due to higher tannins presence. These tannins come from the grape skins and seeds left in contact with the juice during the fermentation process. They contribute a subtle astringency and texture to the wine.
  
• Tannic: The skin-contact method will, of course, result in more tannic wines but this will vary depending on the length of time the juice was left to ferment with the grape skins.
  
• Acidity: While the acidity levels vary, they often retain a good level of acidity, providing freshness and balance to the overall taste.
  
• Aromatics: The extended skin contact in the winemaking process gives a range of aromas that can include floral notes, hints of honey, spice, dried fruits, and sometimes a faint oxidative quality reminiscent of sherry or nuttiness.
  
• Flavor Profile: Orange wines typically exhibit a broad spectrum of flavors. Expect layers of flavors instead of a simple fruit-forward experience. These can include citrus notes (like orange peel or bitter orange), along with stone fruit flavors (like apricot or peach) herbs (or even tea-like nuances) with earthy or nutty tones. This depends on the grape variety and winemaking techniques. For example, fermentation vessel can play a role in the earthiness of the wine (fermentation in qvevri might result in a wine with more earthy flavor than steel tank fermentation).
  
• Complexity: The unique combination of the above elements results in a wine that is intriguingly complex, offering a wide array of flavors and textures that evolve as you sip and aerate the wine.
  

Variations by Grape Varietal:

• Rkatsiteli: Georgia’s signature grape, offering vibrant citrus, apricot, and honeyed notes.
• Pinot Gris: Expect floral tones with hints of peach, pear, and spice in Italian and Slovenian iterations. In Italy, this wine is known as ramato, or “auburn” .
• Sauvignon Blanc: New World versions can showcase tropical fruit notes with a touch of herbaceousness, while European expressions lean towards pear, apple, and minerality.
• Chardonnay: Expect a fuller-bodied experience with rich, buttery notes and hints of stone fruit and oak.
• Grüner Veltliner: Austria’s signature grape can create intriguing wines with peppery spice, citrus, and earthy notes.
  

Orange Wine Regions

With orange wine production flourishing across the globe, each region offers its own distinct expression. To the already established orange-wine producing regions such as Georgia, Slovenia and Italy, more recent zones of production have emerged as California, Australia and New Zealand. Here are a few must-try examples:

Georgia: The birthplace of skin-contact wines, Georgia’s Qvevri wines, aged in clay amphorae buried underground, are legendary for their earthy depth and mineral complexity.

Slovenia: This small Central European country produces some of the world’s most elegant orange wines. They are known for their vibrant acidity and notes of citrus and white flowers.

Italy: From Friuli-Venezia Giulia to Sicily, Italian orange wines showcase the diversity of Italian grape varietals. They offer everything from floral aromatics to nutty richness.

Austria: Austrian orange wines often showcase Grüner Veltliner, resulting in wines with pronounced minerality, peppery spice, and hints of honey.

France: Jura, in eastern France, is a haven for orange wine experimentation. Pinot Noir and Savagnin grapes produce wines with notes of dried fruit, spice, and earth.

Portugal: Encruzado and Arinto from Portugal’s Dão region offer vibrant acidity, citrus zest, and a touch of nuttiness.

Greece: Santorini’s volcanic soils and Assyrtiko grapes produce stunning orange wines. They have a pronounced minerality, citrus notes, and a hint of honey.

California: Sun-kissed California delivers vibrant, fruit-forward orange wines. Discover Roussanne’s stone fruit and pear notes in Central Coast bottlings and Gruner Veltliner’s citrusy charm in Sonoma Coast offerings.

Australia: Orange wine pioneers in Australia produce gems from diverse regions. Sauvignon Blanc and textural Semillon from Adelaide Hills, savory Pinot Gris from New South Wales, and aromatic Riesling from Tasmania.

New Zealand: Aotearoa joins the orange wine adventure with crisp, mineral-driven Pinot Gris from Martinborough and aromatic Gewürztraminer from Gisborne.

How to Best Drink Orange Wine and Food Pairings

While wine pairing is a question of personal taste, here are some ideas of food pairing for orange wine. It’s complexity and profile in-between red and white wine, offers a very versatile wine.
Match intensity: Try matching bold orange wines to bold dishes, the lighter ones with lighter dishes.
Because of their full-body, they can complement well flavorful dishes where you would usually serve a red. For example Asian and spicy dishes.

Try it with:

Grilled or roasted vegetables
Brings out the earthy, caramelized notes of roasted root vegetables or the smoky depths of grilled eggplant and peppers. Pairs well with mushrooms or squash.

Spicy
Curry dishes, Moroccan tagines, or Asian food. Complements well Japanese, or Korean dishes and fermented foods. Think fiery fermented kimchi, wasabi or a Thai green curry. These stand up beautifully to the tannins and acidity of orange wine.

Aged cheeses
Manchego, Comté, or Gruyère offer a creamy counterpoint to the tannins, while funky washed-rind cheeses add a playful complexity.

Meat and Fish
Orange wine pairs well with both meat and fish. Lamb is a classic companion, especially slow-cooked shoulder or chops. However, don’t hesitate to explore duck, guinea fowl, or even beef!
For fish, fatty fish like fatty salmon, seared tuna, or even smoked mackerel. The acidity of orange wine balances them quite well.

Is Orange Wine the Same as Natural Wine?

“Natural wine” is vague as it lacks a strict definition. But generally speaking it typically involves minimal intervention or additives, embracing organic or biodynamic vineyard practices and traditional winemaking techniques. As orange wine contain high tannins, it can be bottles without sulfur dioxide, the primary preservative used in wine that acts as antimicrobial and antioxidant agent.