What is orange wine?
Quick answer
Orange wine is white wine made like a red: the skins of white grapes stay in contact with the juice for days or even months, giving it an amber or orange hue and a tannic texture unusual for a white.
Detailed answer
Orange wine is neither a new invention nor a cocktail — it is arguably the oldest style of winemaking on Earth. The technique originates in Georgia, where winemakers have fermented white grapes with their skins in buried clay vessels called qvevri for over 8,000 years. The method was revived in northeastern Italy (Friuli) and Slovenia in the 1990s and has since spread globally.
The concept is straightforward: white grapes are vinified like reds. Instead of pressing the juice off the skins immediately (standard white winemaking), the skins, seeds and sometimes stems macerate with the juice for anywhere from a few days to six months or longer. This skin contact extracts tannins, pigments (hence the amber-orange colour) and phenolic compounds that give the wine a distinctive texture and depth.
Popular grapes for orange wine include Ribolla Gialla (Friuli), Rkatsiteli (Georgia), Pinot Gris (Alsace), Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. On the palate, orange wine typically shows dried fruit, honey, nuts, spice and citrus zest, with a tannic grip that makes it feel closer to a light red than a white.
This tannic structure makes orange wine a surprisingly versatile food partner. It handles spicy cuisine, curries, aged cheeses and Asian dishes with ease — pairings where a standard white would be overwhelmed and a full red might clash. If you have never tried one, expertvin.be carries a growing selection to get you started.