Welcome to part 8 of 9 in our series about organic and biodynamic wine. We have covered the vineyard, the certifications and natural wine's low-intervention philosophy, and now we turn our attention to a type of wine that sparks both curiosity and questions: orange wine.
Orange wine is neither a trendy colour nor a new grape. It is an old technique that makes white grapes behave a little like reds, and the result is a wine with a colour, structure and flavour that many encounter for the first time with a certain wonder. Let us unpack it calmly.
What you will learn
- How orange wine is made, and what sets it apart from ordinary white wine
- What role skin contact plays when you use white grapes
- Why orange wine is often connected to natural wine
- What you can expect when you pour it into the glass
What orange wine is
Orange wine is essentially white wine made with a red wine technique. With classic white wine the grapes are pressed quickly, so the juice is separated from skins and seeds before fermentation begins. That gives the fresh, light wines we know.
With orange wine you instead let the juice ferment together with the grapes' skins (and often the seeds) for a period. It is the same basic idea as with red wine, where it is precisely the contact with the skins that gives colour and structure. The difference is that here we use white grapes, and that the colour therefore lands somewhere between deep golden and amber, hence the name.
It is worth remembering that the technique is not new. It is in fact one of the older ways to make wine, from the days when people simply let the grapes ferment in large vessels before the more gentle methods for making light white wines were developed.
Skin contact on white grapes
The key term is skin contact, that is, the time during which the juice is allowed to draw on the skins. This is where the magic happens.
In the grape's skin and seeds there are a number of substances that would otherwise never make it into an ordinary white wine. The most important are the tannins, the same substances that give red wine its firmness and the slightly puckering sensation on the tongue. When white grapes get skin contact, the wine draws tannin out of the skins and thereby gains a structure you would normally associate with red wine.
At the same time colour compounds and part of the grape's aromatic reserve are drawn out as well. Many of the grape's aromatic compounds are in fact bound up in the skin and only released when they are given time and contact. This is part of the explanation for why orange wine often smells different and more intense than the same grape made as a classic white wine.
How long does skin contact last?
It varies a great deal. Some wine producers let the juice draw on the skins for just a couple of days, and the result is a lightly tinted wine with only a hint of structure. Others let it stand for weeks or months, and here both colour, tannin and flavour become clearly more pronounced. The longer the contact, the more the character of the skins comes forward.
There is therefore not one orange wine, but a whole spectrum from the delicate and almost white-wine-like to the deep and powerful.
The connection to natural wine
Orange wine and natural wine often overlap, but they are not the same. Orange wine is about a method (skin contact on white grapes), while natural wine is about a philosophy of intervening as little as possible. You can read more about that way of thinking in our section on natural wine.
The reason the two so often go together is that many producers of orange wine work in a low-intervention tradition. They like to ferment with the grapes' own wild yeast cells rather than added ones, and they keep the sulphur at a low level. Here skin contact actually plays a practical role: the skins contain phenols with a certain antimicrobial and protective effect, which can make the wine a little more robust without a large amount of added sulphur. If you want to understand the role of sulphur better, we have gathered it together in the section on sulphur in wine.
This does not mean that all orange wine is natural wine, or vice versa. But they live in the same neighbourhood, and you will often come across them side by side.
How it tastes
The first thing that surprises is usually the colour. Expect anything from pale gold through apricot to a deep amber tone, depending on how long the wine has had skin contact.
In the aroma you often meet notes that lean towards dried fruit, citrus peel, tea and spice, and sometimes a nutty and slightly oxidative character. It is typically more complex and less crisp-fresh than a classic white wine.
On the palate the biggest shift is the structure. The tannins give a slightly puckering, firm sensation that one normally associates with red wine. That makes orange wine fuller and grippier, and this is precisely where many need to get used to it. In return it also opens up new possibilities at the table, because the wine's structure makes it flexible alongside food that can otherwise be hard to pair with white wine.
A good tip: serve orange wine a touch cooler than room temperature, but not ice cold. Too much chill shuts off the aromas and accentuates the tannins unnecessarily.
In short
- Orange wine is white wine made with skin contact, that is, a red wine technique on white grapes.
- The contact with the skins draws out tannin, colour and aromas and gives the wine structure and a golden to amber tone.
- Skin contact can last from a few days to several months, which creates a broad spectrum of styles.
- Orange wine often overlaps with natural wine, but method and philosophy are two different things.
- Expect complex aromas and a firm, slightly puckering palate sensation, and serve it lightly chilled.
Frequently asked questions
Is orange wine the same as natural wine?
No. Orange wine is a method where white grapes ferment with skin contact. Natural wine is a philosophy of the least possible intervention. They often go together, because many orange wines are made in a low-intervention tradition, but you can easily find one without the other.
Why does orange wine taste more puckering than ordinary white wine?
Because it contains tannin from the grapes' skins and seeds. These are the same substances that give red wine its structure, and they are normally not present in a classic white wine, where the juice is separated from the skins early on.
Ready for the next step?
Orange wine is a fine reminder that wine is full of variation, and that most of it is about tasting your way forward. If you have got the urge to try one, feel free to start with one with shorter skin contact and work your way up to the more pronounced ones. Remember that the best pairing is always the wine you like with the food you like.
In the next and final part we tie the threads together with practical advice in How to choose organic and natural wine. In the meantime you are welcome to look around the selection and let your curiosity carry you onward.