ONBOARD’s wine guru Chloé Raynaud looks at the rise of the new kid on the block – orange wine
Popping up on trendy bars’ wine lists from New York to Shanghai, orange wines are the new it-drink of the wine scene. Paired with the rise of natural and low intervention wines, orange wine is stealing not only our hearts but also our wallets: data analysts expect to see a $20 million increase in this category in the next decade.
Orange, skin-contact, or amber wine, is produced from white grapes in same way that red wines are produced: using skin-contact during the fermentation process. Extended maceration time on the skins of anywhere from a couple of days to many months, can provide a tannic, amber-coloured extraction in various shades and colours. This is contrary to conventional white wine production, which omits the skins and seeds from the fermentation process and relies on the juice. Orange wines are often scented with notes of nuts, ginger, dried fruit confit, and honey but the bouquet always depends on the main varietal used in production. They are commonly produced with aromatic grapes as they provide beautiful, intense perfumes to pair with the structure gained in this style of fermentation. Orange wines are best served at 15°C, and marry beautifully with food such as Indian curries, spiced dishes from Asia, or hard cheeses from the regions they’re produced in.
History v. Trend?
Fermenting wine in this way is not a new practice: regional specialities from Friulia, Slovenia, and Georgia are the backbone of the orange wine scene. The production of wine in Georgia goes back almost 5,000 years, using traditional qvevri amphorae buried deep in the ground for temperature control. In Western Europe, ramato wine, or “copper-colored,” as it is identified in Italy, was heavily produced in the 1950s and 1960s but unfortunately fell out of fashion. Rediscovered, Josko Gravner and Stanislao Radikon revived the production of orange wine in the late 1990’s in Italy and it took off once again.
The categorization of overall ‘orange’ wine was termed by David Harvey of Raeburn Fine Wines in 2004. Unable to classify the wonderous liquid he was working with, he chose to highlight the visual, olfactory, and structural differences from both red and white wine by finding a term in the middle. This term is now used worldwide, as the craze has coincided with the rise of the natural wine movement. Many orange wines are produced using low-intervention techniques in the cellar, and biodynamic or organic farming in the vineyards.
What to try first?
This winemaking trend, or newly revived historical practice depending on how you look at it, has spread across the globe. Wineries from California to France are newly embracing skin-contact fermentations, sometimes using more modern techniques including steel tanks or wooden barrels, as the primary regions in Italy, Slovenia, and Georgia continue to perfect their craft. Interested in expanding your palate? We recommend trying some of the below:
Radikon Oslavje
Based not too far off the Slovenian border in Italy, Radikon is one of the singular most important producers of orange wine. This bottling is a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, spending two to three months on the skins before aging for three years in barrel. The palate is fresh and tannic, with a spicy, mineral expression of apples and peaches.
Gerard Bertrand Orange Gold
Gerard Bertrand wanted to reflect the power of the southern sun in this recently released blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Marsanne. Vinified using semi-carbonic maceration, the wine sees fifteen days on the skins, resulting in a mix of peach, apricot and Mirabelle flavours.
These wines are up-and-coming but still very niche, so beware as provisioners are unlikely to carry large stocks on hand. While yachting can be a world of traditional and classic wines for clientele who know their flavour preferences, knowing the wider industry trends can assist when you have new or more cosmopolitan charter guests onboard.
Chloé Raynaud, Wine Consultant, Vins Sans Frontières www.vsfgroup.com
