ORANGE WINES, EXPLAINED
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ORANGE WINE EXPLAINED IN DETAIL
Orange wines have become a category sweetheart lately.
You can’t go out and about and not come across a few examples on your restaurant menu, or at your favourite hip wine bar or local wine shop. If you’re not quite sure what orange wines are, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place! This primer will set you up with what you need to know to feel confident while talking to your wine loving friends, a sommelier, or a wine shop customer representative.
WHAT IS AN ORANGE WINE?
An orange wine is a distinct category of wines. Importantly, it is not made from the addition of oranges or any orange-specific flavours or colourings.
Rather, orange wines are an ancient style of wine that is made by leaving grape juice in contact with the skins of white grapes for an extended period of time. These wines often take on an orange or rust colour due to the way they are made.
WHERE DO ORANGE WINES ORIGINATE FROM? IS THIS A NEW TREND?
While orange wines are definitely trendy in today’s savvy marketplace, they are not a new invention. In fact, orange wines date back thousands of years and are thought to have originated in the Caucasus region of what is now known as Georgia.
Today, while orange wines are made everywhere around the world, the best and most famous examples tend to come from Eastern Europe (including Georgia), Italy and France. The category was reinvigorated outside of Eastern Europe by a winemaker by the name of Josko Gravner from Friuli Italy in the late 1990s/early 2000s, and coined “orange” wine by a UK wine merchant who was living and working in Italy during this time.
In terms of what has made orange wines trendy today, it is the link back to ancient times and low-intervention winemaking that seems to make them so popular with consumers who are focussed on such things in their day to day life and purchases.
HOW DO ORANGE WINES DIFFER FROM WHITE WINES AND/OR RED WINES?
Orange wines are often thought to be a cross between red and white wines - a middle ground if you will. This is because they tend to be more robust and structured than a white wine, but far less intense on the palate and the eye than a red wine. These are wines that are made in a way that pays homage to red wines, but still retains the lightness of white wines.
SO HOW ARE ORANGE WINES MADE?
In theory, the answer to this question is straightforward.
Orange wines are made by fermenting the juice extracted from white wine grapes in contact with said grape skins and pips as the wines ferments for an extended period of time. By extended period of time, we mean anything from a week to a year, or beyond.
It is this time spent fermenting on grape skins and pips that makes the wine akin to a red wine in some ways. During this time, the wine takes on a darker colour than a white wine - anything ranging from pink to deep gold to orange depending on the amount of time that is given - and it also extracts some tannins and phenolics which give it more structure than a white wine.
Many orange wines are also fermented in more traditional clay vessels such as amphorae or qvevri, which are sometimes buried under ground for added affect. However, such methods are not a requirement and therefore, more modern vessels and techniques are also employed.
It is worth noting that while a notable portion of orange wines may be labelled as “natural” wines, this term is not regulated nor formally defined and therefore can connote a wide range of practices. It is further worth noting that not all orange wines would be eligible to be called “natural” - in other words, an orange wine should not be automatically presumed to be a natural wine, no matter how the latter term may be defined.
WHAT DO ORANGE WINES TASTE LIKE?
The experience of trying an orange wine for the first time can be a bit disconcerting because these wines can taste quite different than one might expect. They are usually medium bodied and therefore have more body than a light refreshing white wine, but nowhere near the body of most red wines. They also have tannins, which is not a common occurrence in white wines but is the hallmark of red wines. However, the tannins tend to be lighter and less intrusive than a red wine.
Another feature of these wines is that they often lack overt fruit notes, or their fruit notes are different than what you might expect (the exact notes will differ depending on climate, grapes used, exact winemaking techniques etc.). Sometimes these wines can have nutty and herbal notes! Generally speaking, they are described as being savoury, as opposed to fruity, usually.
Taken together, the profile of an orange wine makes it an interesting pairing for a range of foods, which is one of the key reasons why these wines appear on so many restaurant menus.
NOTE: If an orange wine is also a natural wine, it will have a less clean palate in favour of something more “natty” and adventurous!
WHAT DO ORANGE WINES PAIR WELL WITH?
In our opinion, orange wines pair very well with ethnic cuisines that are rich in spices, for example those found in Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures and kitchens. Because of the umami nature that is found in many orange wines, they also pair nicely with hard aged cheeses and charcuterie, as well as earthy root vegetables. If you’re a vegetarian, an orange wine could be an excellent pairing for a mushroom and goat cheese tart!
WHAT DO ORANGE WINES COST?
As with so many things in life, the answer to this question is “it depends”! Price points vary wildly and depend on the winemaker, the techniques employed during the winemaking process, the grapes used, production levels and ease of access to the consumer etc.
Having said that, orange wines do tend to be mid-priced or higher, because they are usually small batch productions where specialist winemaking techniques are employed and a higher level of care and attention is required.
And there you have it - all that you need to know to feel comfortable purchasing and discussing orange wines. This is a category of wine that many consumers are interested in, so no doubt, your newly acquired knowledge will come in handy soon!
Cheers!
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