A Brief History of: Orange Wine (Newsletter #17)
I'm just a little history nerd who loves orange wine!
Everyone loves orange wine right now. And if they don’t… well… I don’t know. I only people who really love it.
If you don’t know what it is, let’s define it real quick:
In short, orange wine, or skin contact wine OR! amber wine (it goes by a couple of names) is a white wine made like a red wine. This means that the juice is pressed and left in contact with the skins for a period of time (hence: skin contact). *This process is also known as maceration. Depending on the maceration, which can range anywhere from days to months, the color of the wine will deepen and result in a bolder, more textured wine, ultimately becoming a more complex version of the wine. I should note: NO ORANGES ARE USED IN THIS PROCESS lol. Orange just refers to the color.
Flavor profiles of orange wine can vary, although I have found many that are very floral (Jasmin, honeysuckle, gardenia) with peachy, stone fruit or melon flavors. Of course, there is a broad spectrum of profiles: depending on the varietal and amount of skin contact, you can find some that are earthy, sour or nutty. I’ve had a Riezling (cousin to the Riesling) that tasted like black pepper (skin contact of 11 months! wow!) AND I’ve had an orange wine be so dark, it looked like a red.
Now let’s dive into the history, because it’s super interesting:
Orange wine is thousands of years old! Yes, thousands, so this wine is in no way a fad. In fact, it might be considered one of the OG styles of wine, made by the OG winemakers in Georgia (the country, not the state!). Wine is an ancient process and it is believed that it has its roots in what is now present day Georgia.
Much of Georgia is rural and relies on agriculture. During the former Soviet era, Georgia would export 80% of its wine to Russia. In the early 2000s they raised tariffs, making it a tough market for Georgia. Winemakers turned their sights to western markets, where today, they export to the EU and the US.
These wines made using ancient techniques from the Georgian region, which include fermenting wine in clay amphoras (called kveris, kind of look like a giant urn) and burying them under ground during winter. The clay vessel allows for oxygen to enter, but still keeps it a neutral space during fermentation and aging.
Finding orange wine around the world…
Today, there are many regions producing orange wine and a couple of different techniques to do so. Personally, I love an Italian orange wine or a Californian orange—but honestly, no matter where they come or how much skin contact they’ve had, I’ll always have love for them.
Given the recent popularity of this style of wine, it is common to find them in natural wine shops, bars and wine lists around town. Your local natural wine shop should be able to point you in the right direction!
Maybe you want to move on from white, you want something with a little more body, but not quite ready for a red. Orange wine is an excellent bridge between white and red.
The great thing about orange wine is that it’s perfect for just about any occasion: afternoon glass, pre-dinner, with-dinner, after-dinner, picnics, porches, birthday parties, bubbly, good with fish, good with pizza, great with tamales, tacos and mediterranean food. There’s so much fun to be had! The opportunities are endless.
A couple faves that I always reach for:
Meinklang, Cortez, Gulp Hablo, Tell Your Sis I Said Hi.
If you’d like to try a FABULOUS Georgian wine try: Gotsa or Dila-o.