What's the Orange Wine Hype?

National Orange Wine Day is this weekend!  Annually, on October 6th , this day has been dedicated to these super interesting wines that have drawn the attention of wine consumers and media in recent years.  This may be a completely foreign subject to some so let’s take out the mystery today of what an orange wine really is. 

What are orange wines? 

No, it is not a wine made from oranges themselves.  Orange wines are actually made from white grapes.  These are white grapes that are vinified as red wines.  Just like red grapes are left in contact with the skins during fermentation to abstract color, tannins, and phenols, orange wines are produced in the same manner.   

Orange wines are white grapes that are left in contact with the skins for a period of time.  Some producers may be as number of days where other producers may let the fermentation with the skins go on for months.  This in turn all affects the outcome of what the wine will taste like in a number of ways. 

Where does the name orange wine come from? 

Orange wines, although not completely orange in color, get their color from the length of time that the skins come in contact with the grapes.  There is a wide array of colors that you will see in orange wines from a pale orangish color to deeper amber.  These amber colored wines in Italy are called ramato, translating to copper, as some of them will have a coppery hue.   

How did orange wines first begin? 

Even though orange wines seem to be more of the hot topic in recent years, they are actually ancient wines that have been around for thousands of years originating in the country of Georgia.  The Georgians used to ferment these white grapes with the skin contact in what some of the Italians still use today, amphorae, or known as qvevri in Georgia.   

In Italy orange wines really began with the famous wine producer, Josko Gravner, in the late 90’s.  Gravner producers some of Italy’s most interesting and high-quality orange wines in the Friuli Venezia Giulia wine region of northeastern Italy.  He may have started the trend within Italy, but other producers have begun their own production and experimentation with orange wines as well.   

What grapes are used to make an orange wine? 

There are a number of white grape varieties that are used to make orange wines.  In Gravner’s region of Friuli Venezia Giulia the most common would be Ribolla Gialla and Pinot Grigio. Around the world you will also see Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Chardonnay and Rkatsiteli being used.  One of my favorite producers of the Upstate New York Finger Lakes wine region, Dr. Konstantin Frank, makes an orange style wine with their “Amber Rkatsiteli”.  

An array of Collio Pinot Grigio ending with the Primosic "Skin" orange wine on the right.

What do orange wines taste like? 

With orange wines it seems it’s a love them or hate them deal.  Personally, I tried orange wines many years ago and would agree with the “funk” of these wines that personally turned me off.  It wasn’t until I decided to try and give them a second chance on my visit to the Collio wine region last summer when I changed my mind.  The producer for me that changed my mind was Primosic, as you’ll see in my prior blog post.   

These wines may or may not be oxidized, but if so that changes the style of the wine from being a fresh and fruity style to more dried fruit, honeyed or nutty characteristics.  These wines tend to be bold and more complex on the aromas and flavor profile along with texture.  They may be herbal, yeasty or have a slight sour taste. It all depends on the grapes used and how the wine was made.  They are quite ageable too. 

Where can you find orange wines? 

You may find orange wines produced in many wine regions of the world, but your most popular wine regions that specialize in these wines would be the originator, the country of Georgia, along with Friuli Venezia Giulia mentioned previous in northeastern Italy.  Also, Slovenia, which sits side by side bordering Friuli Venezia Giulia also makes many orange wines to try as well.

Have you tried orange wines? What are your favorites?

Check on some orange wines on Wine.com.  Vino Travels may receive compensation for any purchases made to support the operations of Vino Travels.

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