Many adventurous drinkers may already be familiar with skin-contact, or “orange” wines – but a lot of folks are still, sadly, in the dark. They often ask if the wine is made with oranges, are unclear about production methods, and are confused about what the wines will taste like. Orange wines are definitely one of those murky categories, so it’s no wonder there is bewilderment! Plus, this style of wine is often tied with the very vague “natural” wine movement, further confounding understanding.
No, there are no oranges in it, and they don’t (usually) have a Crayola-orange color; they're more golden or amber. In a way, they’re related to rosé. (Rosés are made from red grapes, but vinified like a white wine -- namely, without much skin contact so the wine doesn’t get “dyed” deep red, but merely pink.) Orange wines are made kind of like rosé but the other way around: a white wine made in the style of a red, including longer-than-normal contact with the grape skins, effectively “dyeing” the white wine amber or light orange, hence the name.
But this process also adds textural and flavor elements from phenolics—chemical compounds found in grape skins, like tannin. When you drink an orange wine, the grape’s usual fruitiness can seem muted, and the finish can be bitter, but skin-contact whites come in a huge range of styles, and their savory uniqueness makes them especially fun to pair with food. This is a very good place to ask a merchant or somm for advice, because some orange wines are the funkiest sips on the planet. (I had one once that I described as “a parmesan rind that spent two weeks in a saline foot bath in the sun during a heatwave.” I was intrigued by its extreme character, but even for me, getting that last glass down was a bit rough.) Most are much more enjoyable, combining fruit with a pleasant grip, and often a gingery feel.
If you want a more gateway experience, seek out an orange wine made from aromatic grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc or Trebbiano, which can balance the funkier side. I like the Gulp Hablo, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo from Spain, that has the grapes macerating on their skins for about a week. It’s a bit more of a “porch pounder,” easy-drinking version. Cirelli from Abruzzo makes a fruity version from Trebbiano that’s easy to identify; it has an orange on the label!
You could also try a ramato pinot grigio from Italy – “ramato” implies the wines had some skin contact, and as the pinot grigio grape has dark (“grey/grigio”) skins, it will pick up an amber hue easily. Letting these wines have a little of that skin contact grip can balance the floral and tangy freshness of the sometimes-uninspiring variety. I love the Channing Daughters Ramato from Long Island, and Oregon's Cameron Winery makes an elegant one as well.
For a savory edge, go Georgian. These skin-contact whites are commonly aged in amphora (see my August 2024 “Intrepid Imbibing” post on qvevri- or amphorae-aged whites.) Some of these can spend months – or even a year – on their skins! Here, you’ll absolutely see more funk and structure, but many are still quite elegant.
Many good wine shops have an orange wine section, and they’re even showing up on restaurant lists, so don’t be afraid to try a few and experiment! Especially on October 6th, which happens to be National Orange Wine Day.
Cheers!
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