Tis the season for everything orange and pumpkin spice, including wine. I’m referring to orange wine, which has nothing to do with pumpkins, may have a little spice, and is not made from oranges … as I let the salesman at the local wine shop know as he began leading me to the fruit wine section.
I admit, the term orange wine is a little misleading, but given its cool amber color, it’s easy to understand why people categorize it this way. Orange wine is technically skin-contact white wine, which refers to a unique winemaking process for white wines. In this method, the juice from the white wine grapes are allowed to ferment with their skins, seeds and stems for varying periods, ranging from several hours to multiple months. This method is different from what we consider typical white wine production, where the skins, seeds, and stems are removed before fermentation.
The technique used to make orange wines mirrors the process used in red wine production, where extended contact with the skin, seeds, and stems imparts color, body, and tannins to the wine. Similarly, in skin-contact white wines, the winemaker deliberately lets the white grape juice macerate (soak) with its skins, seeds, and stems. This prolonged contact enhances the wine’s color and body, resulting in a more complex flavor and textured wine.
There are a variety of grapes used for orange wines, everything from chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, and pinot grigio. Really, any white wine grape can and is used for orange wines. Several times, you’ll find blends of skin-contact white wines in your bottle, which I personally find interesting to the palate. In Italy, you’ll find they use pinot grigio, and have categorized the style of wine with the term “ramato” which means copper in Italian.
Depending on the grapes and how long the winemaker lets the skins hang out, you get all kinds of different wines. Some orange wines might trick you into thinking they’re more of a red wine, given the tannins that leave you with that mouth-drying feel. Others could be all savory and herb-like with a little spice. Ultimately, winemakers can create a diverse range of styles within this category.
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Whether it’s referred to as orange wine, ramato, amber or skin-contact white wine, this unique style of winemaking is having a real moment right now.But, contrary to popular belief, orange wines are not a new fad. Their origins trace back millennia to the Republic of Georgia. This ancient winemaking technique has deep roots in Georgian culture, where indigenous Rkatsiteli grapes were traditionally fermented and aged on their skins in large terracotta vessels called qvevri.
The countries of Georgia and Slovenia are masters of making stellar orange wines, but finding them on the shelves and wine lists can be hard. (If you find one, snag it.) The good news is, orange wine is now being produced by winemakers around the world, making it easier to explore both this old-world winemaking process and new wine regions.
For some specific recommendations, I reached out to a few of our local wine experts in the Vail Valley to get their thoughts.
“For me orange wine is an interesting category. Some can be funky and weird (kinda cider meets kombucha). Or when they are done well they have the refreshing quality of white wine with that extra layer of complexity offered from red wine. Two of my recommendations are, the 2023 Wonderland Ranch Orange Chardonnay Skin Fermented and the 2022 Bianco de Riecine,” said Jeremy Campbell, co-owner and director of libations at Root & Flower.
According to Sean Razee, master sommelier with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, “The portfolio I work with has only one orange wine, which is Bertrand Orange Gold. I do recommend that particular wine and appreciate that like most of the Bertrand wines, it is AB Certified (organic). The reason I find Bertrand Orange Gold intriguing in the orange wine category is that the wine is made in a style that retains freshness. I would like to see more producers playing with whole cluster white wine fermentation to broaden the orange wine category. The key for me in making orange wines, is to ensure the wines offer freshness in both the nose and palate. Many producers make orange wines in an oxidative style that can mute aromatic intensity – that’s not a style I like or recommend.”
As for a few of my recommendations, you can find these five online…and maybe in one of your local wine shops.
- Gerard Bertrand Orange Gold 2022
- Sybille Kuntz Estate Mosel Organic Orange Riesling Trocken 2020
- Division Winemaking Company L’Orange 2023
- Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner Orange, 2022
- Sun Goddess Pinot Grigio Ramato Orange Wine by Mary J Blige, 2020
Elaine Schoch is an award-winning travel writer and wine judge, certified by theWine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2, and a certified American Wine Expert. She is also the editor at Carpe Travel, a content site focused on wine travel. You can follow her wine 101 and sipping adventures onCarpe TravelorInstagram.
