Why We Love Orange Wine
By Lucy Hine
Orange wine changed our lives. The fact that we hadn't really even considered this fourth style of wine until a few years ago, is frankly a bit embarrassing for people who spend most of their time thinking and reading and talking about drinks. And drinking them too. However, we have certainly made up for lost time, as 9 times out of 10 it'll be an orange wine that we're opening after work now.
Orange refers of course to the wine's colour (anything from a very pale peach to a deep amber) which comes from the skins of grapes normally associated with white wine, which are left in contact with the juice for anything from a few days to several months. It's not only colour that's imparted by the skins but also tannins, which means that these wines feel different in your mouth. They are made to have more complexity and weight than a white wine. Flavour-wise there is a whole spectrum out there too - from lighter, fruitier bottles to pretty weird, farmhouse funk. In general though, they are just wholly satisfying and unlike anything else you'll find.
Diagram from ‘Amber Revolution’ by Simon Woolf
Ancient, venerable and largely overlooked by modern drinkers and critics, the earliest orange wines on record date from at least 6,000 years ago in Georgia. Their gradual re-emergence over more recent times (the last 30 years) has come about largely because of the efforts of a small number of European winemakers whose commitment to the principals of organic farming and the artistry of their craft has brought about this modern-day wave of interest and fascination.
It is precisely because these winemakers are producing with such integrity, that orange wine is seen to be the direct antithesis of commercial, large scale, non-organic wine. By its very nature it is a complete rejection of mono-culture and big business. No wonder it's finding fans all over the world as people become more concerned with sustainability, the wellbeing of the planet and their own health and nutrition.
The team at work at Slobodne, Slovakia
The leading wine journalist and author Simon Woolf says, “because orange wines and natural wines are so joined at the hip, they definitely ride on the wave of all things sustainable, planet-friendly, organic, additive-free etc - whether that's always justified or not. Some natural reds or whites are indistinguishable from their more mainstream cousins at least when it comes to appearance or texture. The same can't be said of most orange wines. Everything is different - colour, cloudiness (in some cases), aromas, texture, flavour.”
As well as standing for all that they do, orange wines simultaneously represent an old-fashioned simplicity which a lot of modern drinkers find very appealing. Woolf points out in a recent article in Decanter magazine that if the modern concept of a fresh white wine requires ‘a press, a destemmer, most probably a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank and a filtration system’, orange wine has ‘simpler needs: just perfect grapes and a vessel for fermentation’. Enough said.
We have orange wines from dozens of producers in the shop and more bottles from different producers will be coming in each month. Here are a couple of our favourite wineries and orange wines as a starter for ten.
It feels like we should be writing a book about the folks at Slobodne with their fascinating history and excellent wines. In fact maybe we will one day. Slobodne (‘the free winery’) is run by a young, family team from their ancestral estate, which was only recovered in the early 90s, after 40 years of communism in the region and the aftermath of WWII. The family have spent the last 25 years rebuilding the ecosystem of the farm and launched their first organic wines in 2010. Today they are at the forefront of the natural wine movement in Slovakia and make some of our favourite wines. We are big fans, can you tell?
Our favourite of their orange wines: Slobodne Supermajer (NOW OUT OF STOCK)
In this warm 2015 vintage, the Gruner Veltliner grapes were picked early to maintain a beautiful acidity. They were mostly de-stemmed and then fermented on their skins for 2 weeks in open casks outside with regular punchdowns. Following fermentation the wine was pressed and transferred into old barrels of various sizes (Moravian oak and acacia), where it spent two years. Only 1,000 bottles released.
2. Richard Stavek (Czech Republic)
Richard Stávek is one of the true pioneers of natural winemaking in Moravia. He oversees 15 hectares of land, with 4.5 hectares dedicated to grape vines featuring some little known indigenous grape varieties. In the winery, the focus is on traditional practices, treading barefoot, inclusion of whole bunches, fermentation in wooden vats, gravity racking, and very limited or no use of sulphur dioxide.
Our favourite of his orange wines: Kolberg (NOW OUT OF STOCK)
100% Riesling, the grapes comes from vineyards planted in 1987. The age of the vines definitely contributes to the complexity and structure of the finished wine. 'With peaches, apricots, an exotic, floral note, with a grip on palate that finishes off with superb freshness’.
3. Gazzetta (Italy)
Trish Nelson started releasing wine from her beautiful organic smallholding in the hills above the village of Bolsena (Lazio) in 2019. Overlooking Lago di Bolsena she farms two hectares of old vineyards which are planted with Procanico and Ansonica, and a little Malvasia and Moscato. Before starting her own winery, she spent time living and working alongside both Cantina Giardino and Le Coste (two of our favourite Italian producers, and both well represented in the shop). Like theirs, already her wines are really beautiful, subtle and interesting.
Our favourite of her orange wines: Gazzetta G05 (NOW OUT OF STOCK)
'A blend of Procanico and Ansonica, the grapes were destemmed and fermented for three weeks on skins before being pressed off to a chestnut barrel for a year. This is the most structured, savoury spiced of these wines, with some great little tannins to boot.'
You can find other amazing wines by all three producers here.
