Article: Orange Wine: What It Is, How It's Made, and the Best Bottles to Try
Orange Wine: What It Is, How It's Made, and the Best Bottles to Try
You pour it and the color stops you. Not white. Not rosé. Something deeper. Think amber, apricot, worn, aged gold. Your friend across the table says, "Wait, what is that?"
That's orange wine. And once you understand what it is, you'll start seeing it everywhere. On natural wine lists, at dinner parties, behind bars staffed by people with interesting tattoos and very specific opinions about carbonic maceration.
We're going to break it down clearly. What it is, how it's made, what it tastes like, and which bottles are worth your time.
What Is Orange Wine?
Orange wine is white wine made like red wine.
That's the whole secret. Instead of pressing the grapes and immediately separating the juice from the skins (the standard method for white wine), winemakers let the juice and skins stay in contact. Sometimes for days, sometimes for months. That extended skin contact is where the color comes from, along with the flavor and texture that make orange wine unlike anything else.
It has nothing to do with oranges. The name is just a description of what the wine looks like.
You might also hear it called amber wine, skin-contact wine, or skin-fermented white wine. They're all referring to orange wine.
How Orange Wine Gets Its Color
The color comes from phenolic compounds, tannins and pigments, in the grape skins.
White wine grapes have color in their skins, even though the juice itself is clear. When those skins stay in contact with the juice during fermentation, they release everything they've got: color, texture, bitterness, and flavor.
The longer the contact, the deeper the color. A wine with three days of skin contact might look like pale amber. A wine macerated for six months in qvevri clay might look like dark iced tea.
Grape variety matters too. Gewürztraminer skins are pink, which can push the finished wine toward a burnished copper. Pinot Gris can read deep amber. Muscat can stay pale gold. The combination of grape, time, and vessel is what makes every orange wine different.
How Orange Wine Is Made
This is the part that surprises most people, because it's actually the oldest way to make wine.
Step 1: Harvest white wine grapes. Just like any white wine, it starts with varieties like Pinot Gris, Ribolla Gialla, Gewürztraminer, Malvasia, or Chardonnay.
Step 2: Crush (but don't press). The grapes are crushed to release juice. But unlike conventional white wine production, the juice is not immediately separated from the skins, seeds, and sometimes stems.
Step 3: Maceration. The crushed grapes sit in contact with the juice, in open-top barrels, clay amphorae, concrete eggs, or old wooden tanks, while fermentation begins. This is called maceration, and it can last anywhere from a few days to several months.
Step 4: Press. Once the winemaker decides maceration is done, the solids are pressed and the wine continues fermenting (or has already finished fermentation).
Step 5: Age and bottle. Some orange wines are bottled young and fresh; others are aged in oak, clay, or concrete for a year or more before release.
The vessel matters a lot. Georgia's qvevri tradition, clay jars buried in the earth, produces deeply tannic, oxidative orange wines. Modern producers in Friuli, Slovenia, and California are making skin-contact wines that range from lightly structured to intensely extracted.
What Does Orange Wine Taste Like?
Not like white wine. Not like red wine. Like something in between, but with its own thing going on.
The flavor profile and structure or mouthfeel of orange wine generally includes:
- Stone fruit: Dried apricot, peach, quince
- Nuts: Walnut, almond, hazelnut (especially with oxidative aging)
- Honey and beeswax: More common in qvevri-aged styles
- Earthy and savory: Dried herbs, mushroom, tea, dried flowers
- Tannin: Think white wine with grip or with an edge. A texture you can feel.
On the lighter end, you'll find orange wines that taste like a more textured, golden Pinot Gris. Bright, citrus-edged, with a gentle nuttiness. On the deeper end, you'll find wines that taste almost like an old sherry or a dry vermouth. Complex, savory, a little wild.
Who will love it: Curious wine drinkers who want something that makes them think. People who love natural wine, biodynamic wines, or anything that tastes like it was made by a person, not a formula. Anyone who finds standard white wine a little thin and wants more texture without going full red. If you enjoy Sherry, you may like orange wine too.
Who should approach carefully: Drinkers who want fruit-forward, clean, fresh whites. Orange wine is not a crowd-pleaser in the way a crisp Sauvignon Blanc is.
Orange Wine vs. Rosé vs. White Wine
These three are not the same. They're made differently and taste different.
| White Wine | Rosé | Orange Wine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grape color | White grapes | Red grapes | White grapes |
| Skin contact | None | Brief (hours) | Extended (days to months) |
| Color | Clear to pale gold | Pink to salmon | Gold to deep amber |
| Tannin | Very low | Low | Low to medium |
| Flavor profile | Crisp, fresh, fruit-forward | Light, fruity, refreshing | Complex, nutty, savory, textured |
The common mix-up: people see the amber color and think "red wine grape." But orange wine is made from white wine grapes.
The other mix-up: People think orange wine = natural wine. Not necessarily. Natural wine is a philosophy (minimal intervention, no additives). Skin contact is a technique. A natural winemaker might make skin-contact wine, but not all orange wines are natural and not all natural wines are orange. They overlap often, but they're not the same category.
Where Does Orange Wine Come From?
This is one of the oldest winemaking methods in existence, and it's having a modern revival.
Georgia is where it started. The country of Georgia (not the American state) has a documented 8,000-year-old winemaking tradition using buried clay jars called qvevri. Grapes are crushed and fermented with skins and stems in these vessels, which are sealed and buried for months. The resulting wines are deeply amber, tannic, and oxidative. Georgian winemakers like Pheasant's Tears, Alaverdi Monastery, and Iago Bitarishvili have been making wine this way for generations.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) is the modern heartland. In the 1990s, a winemaker named Josko Gravner traveled to Georgia, came home, and began making wine with extended skin contact in amphorae. His neighbor Stanko Radikon did the same. Their wines, and the community of winemakers they inspired, launched the contemporary orange wine movement in Europe.
Slovenia, just across the Italian border, followed naturally. Producers like Movia and Klinec have been making skin-contact wines with a nod to both the local tradition and the Friulian revival.
Today you'll find orange wine made seriously in California's natural wine scene, in Austria, Spain, South Africa, and Australia. It is a global conversation now.
Types of Orange Wine
Not all orange wine is the same. Here's a quick map:
Ramato: An Italian style made from Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) with skin contact that produces a copper-pink color. Some Ramato have only 24–48 hours of maceration; some go longer. It's often the most approachable entry point into skin-contact wines.
Qvevri wine: Made in traditional Georgian clay jars, these wines are often deeply amber, tannic, and oxidative. Bold, complex, and not for everyone, but extraordinary when they click.
Modern skin-contact whites: Winemakers across California, France, South Africa, and beyond making skin-contact wine with anywhere from 3 to 30+ days of maceration, in a range of vessels. These vary enormously in style and are often the most creative orange wines available right now.
Pét-nat-style orange: A handful of winemakers are combining skin contact with the pétillant naturel (naturally sparkling) method, creating lightly fizzy amber wines that are genuinely fun.
Health Benefits of Orange Wine
We're not going to make medical claims. But what we can tell you: orange wine is higher in polyphenols than conventional white wine because the skin contact that gives it color and texture also extracts these compounds. Polyphenols are the same antioxidant compounds associated with the "red wine is good for you" conversation. Resveratrol, tannins, and related phenolics.
Compared to most white wines, orange wine is closer to red wine in its phenolic content. That's a real difference in the chemistry of what's in the glass, even if the health implications are still being studied.
What it's not: lower alcohol, lower sulfite, or necessarily "healthier" than other wine. Natural orange wines often have lower added sulfites, but that's a winemaking philosophy choice, not inherent to skin contact.
How to Serve and Pair Orange Wine
Temperature: Serve cool, not cold. Around 55–60°F. Slightly cooler than room temperature, but not refrigerator-cold. Cold kills the complexity. Think of it like serving a light red.
Glassware: A white wine glass works fine. If you have a larger-bowled Burgundy glass, it'll open up nicely. Avoid tiny glasses. Orange wine needs space to breathe.
Decanting: Heavier, more tannic orange wines benefit from 20–30 minutes of air. Lighter, younger ones can go straight from the bottle.
Food pairings: Orange wine is one of the most food-versatile styles in the world. The tannin and texture give it the grip that white wine can lack; the acidity keeps it from feeling heavy.
Best pairings:
- Charcuterie boards and cured meats (the tannin cuts through fat beautifully)
- Aged cheeses: Manchego, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino
- Middle Eastern and North African food: Tagines, hummus, falafel, roasted vegetables with spice
- Japanese food: Sushi, ramen, grilled fish with miso glaze
- Mushroom dishes: Pasta, risotto, roasted mushrooms on toast
- Roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, duck
- Thanksgiving (orange wine is a genuinely great holiday table wine)
What to avoid pairing: Delicate dishes where you want the food to lead: Steamed fish, cream sauces, simple salads. Orange wine can overwhelm.
The Best Orange Wine Bottles to Try
We curate every bottle we carry at Argaux and our membership program, Club Argaux, is the perfect way to discover our favorite Orange Wines along with other small-batch wines from around the world.
For the curious first-timer: Start with something on the lighter end. A Ramato-style Pinot Gris or a brief-maceration skin-contact white from California. You want orange wine's texture and warmth without the full tannin commitment.
For the natural wine enthusiast: Go deeper. Look for Georgian qvevri wines or a Friulian producer with long maceration times. These are the original orange wines. Nothing tastes quite like them.
For a dinner party: Pick something with recognizable fruit character alongside the skin-contact complexity. Guests who've never had orange wine will be surprised in a good way; guests who drink it regularly will be happy to see it.
Not sure where to start? That's exactly what we're here for. Become a member of our community when you join Club Argaux, and meet your personal sommelier via SMS who will match you with the right bottle for the occasion.
Looking for something more approachable to start your wine journey? Check out our Wine 101 Guide or try our Blind Tasting Kit for a fun and educational at-home wine tasting experience to help you better understand what you like and what you don't. Or explore our Membership Programs for a convenient way to discover the world's most unique, small-batch wines vetted by our team of sommeliers.
FAQ
What is orange wine made of? Orange wine is made from white wine grapes. Varieties like Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Ribolla Gialla, and Chardonnay. The "orange" refers to the color, which comes from extended skin contact during winemaking, not from orange fruit.
Is orange wine the same as natural wine? Not necessarily. Orange wine refers to a winemaking technique (skin contact). Natural wine refers to a philosophy (minimal intervention). Many natural winemakers make orange wines, and the two overlap frequently, but they're not the same category.
Does orange wine taste like oranges? No. The name comes from the color of the wine, not the flavor. Orange wine typically tastes like dried stone fruit, nuts, honey, and savory herbs, with more texture than white wine.
Is orange wine a red wine? No. Orange wine is made from white wine grapes. It just looks amber because of the skin contact during fermentation.
How should I serve orange wine? Serve it slightly cool, around 55–60°F, not fully chilled. Think of it like serving a light red rather than a white wine straight from the fridge.
What food goes with orange wine? Orange wine is one of the most food-friendly wine styles. It pairs especially well with charcuterie, aged cheese, Middle Eastern food, mushroom dishes, roasted chicken, and pork. The tannin gives it the grip that you might be missing in white wine.
Where does orange wine come from? The oldest orange wine tradition is in the country of Georgia, where clay-jar (qvevri) winemaking dates back 8,000 years. The modern revival started in Friuli, Italy in the 1990s and has since spread globally.
Is orange wine healthy? Orange wine is higher in polyphenols than conventional white wine because the skin contact extracts the same antioxidant compounds found in red wine. Whether this has health benefits is still being studied, but compared to white wine, orange wine is chemically closer to red wine in its phenolic content.