Skin contact is a hot topic. I’m talking, of course, about what makes orange wine, well, orange. Although orange wine is made from white grapes like traditional white wine, it is fermented with the juice still in contact with the skins. This process—known as skin contact—gives orange wine its unique flavors and grippy texture. It’s also what gives it an orange color (and thus its confusing name).
In places like Slovenia, northeast Italy, and the country of Georgia, skin contact has long been commonplace. Before the advent of modern winemaking and bottling, compounds from grape skins acted as natural preservatives that helped keep wine fresh. But as new winery equipment arrived in the mid-twentieth century, zesty white wines became more fashionable and orange wines fell out of favor. In Soviet-era Georgia, these traditions were almost lost as the state monopoly began producing simple white wines in high volumes.
When acclaimed Friulian winemaker Joško Gravner decided to revive the orange wine tradition in the late 1990s, his efforts were mocked by Gambero Rosso magazine, which declared, “Joško’s gone mad!” That year, most of his orders were rejected or returned to the winery. Around the same time, fellow visionary Stanko Radikon’s orange wines were met with a similarly frosty reception.
Today, the story couldn’t be more different. Bottles from both Gravner and Radikon (the latter now made by Stanko’s son, Saša) are high-priced and sought-after, valued for their complexity and balance. Finding them in shops is a challenge, but Michelin-starred Boia De in Little Haiti offers both on its award-winning wine list.
Their success has inspired winemakers around the world to make orange wines. As well as Georgia, Friuli, and Slovenia, look for bottles from Sicily, Chile, Portugal, Oregon, and beyond. You’ll find a wide range of styles, from easy-drinking and fruity, to intensely complex and textural. But none of them are made from oranges.
Sarah’s Picks
Two orange wines to try now
Gérard Bertrand Orange Gold 2020 This example from the South of France is an easy-drinking orange wine for beginners, with peachy flavors and a silky texture.
Maturana Torontel Naranjo 2019 This is an aromatic, floral expression of orange wine from Maule, one of Chile’s more southern regions.
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