What is orange wine?

If you’re a bobo or just curious, the term “orange wine” certainly rings a bell… Here’s the long-awaited explanation to help you shine in society. Despite what the news may seem to suggest, orange wine is nothing new.

Dating back to antiquity, orange wine is one of the world’s first wines. It originated in the Caucasus in Georgia, which is considered to be the first region where man cultivated vines. Today, orange wine occupies a place of pride, and many winemakers still vinify in large, traditional clay amphorae.

Let’s take a look at what goes into making orange wine.

L'esthétique d'une cuve en fermentation des grappes blanches ne permet pas d'estimer à sa juste valeur le résultat d'un vin orange. — L’esthétique d’une cuve de fermentation de raisins blancs ne permet pas d’apprécier la valeur du résultat d’un vin d’orange.

Making orange wine

There are four key points in developing orange wine. While these are not far removed from the way white or red wines are made, one small point may refresh our memory.

1. Pellicular maceration involves fermenting the white grape with what is solid in the grape, i.e. the skin and sometimes the stalk.

2. Pigeage, or punching down of the cap, allows the berry skins to come into contact with the juice.

3. Alcoholic fermentation, which occurs spontaneously, transforms the sugar into alcohol.

4. The final stage involves separating the skins to prepare the wine for bottling.

In short, vin orange is “simply” a white wine vinified like a red wine.

Which aromas?

The choice of one or more grape varieties will define the personality of the wines. Next, the maceration time will refine the taste of the orange wine, often based on citrus, white-fleshed fruit, herbs and spices.

Finally, you’ll find the tannins that come from the berry skins, making orange wine a tannic wine! Overall, it’s said to be more digestible, with a less pronounced sense of alcohol. What’s more, freshness predominates on the palate, with rather low acidity.

Thanks to its personality, orange wine will delight your palate by accompanying many of your dishes.

Above all, orange wine is another way of making wine from white grapes. We hope this description has whetted your appetite for this speciality… And that you’ll let yourself be guided by its distinctive aromas, combining the freshness of white wine with the tannins of red wine.

Our two orange wines

At Cave de La Côte, we offer you two orange wines made from different grape varieties and produced using organic viticulture methods. Although their labels are similar, their taste is quite distinct