The production of Orange wine has its roots in the thousand-year-old Italian and Georgian tradition. And it emerges energetically on international markets, thanks also to the growing success of natural wines.
Orange wine, the origins
Fine wine, fresh and at the same time full-bodied, Orange is not as clear as white and is not as dense as red. It belongs to the natural wine movement and is still foreign to large-scale distribution channels.
The amber-orange color inspires itsname, unfortunately in English, ‘Orange Wine’. Although it has been known for millennia, in Italy as in Georgia, it is known as a macerated white wine.
Its production originates from ancient techniques of maceration of white grapes with their skins for very long times.
This ancient tradition was then rediscovered after the Second World War in Italy, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and then explored in various parts of the world such as France, Spain, New Zealand and Africa.
Flavors and colors
The combination of different production processes gives Orange wine its peculiar flavors and colours:
- the color derives from contact with the skins and takes on different shades depending on the maceration times, which is very short for rosé wines and longer for orange ones, between a minimum of 24 hours up to a maximum of approximately 6 months
- the presence or absence of oxygen during maceration in turn affects the chromatic tones which can turn towards orange (in the case of an oxidative environment) or towards golden (in a reducing environment).
The long maceration makes Orange wine suitable for aging in containers ranging from terracotta, amphorae to steel, wooden or concrete barrels.
Tasting
The tasting reveals a complex wine, both on the nose and on the palate.
By smell, Orange wine is reminiscent of fruits ranging from medlar to peach and ripe papaya, with hints of citrus and cedar, towards a balance between tannin and fruity freshness.
On the palate Orange wine has a marked body and imparts a perception that includes both light tannin and umami.
Some wines are spicy with aromas of cinnamon, cloves and saffron. With a general reference to the sea and white flowers.
Pairings
Orange wine pairs perfectly with fatty, raw or smoked fish, or with tasty white meats such as lamb and kid.
For vegetarians is an excellent companion to the typical soups of Mediterranean cuisine, rather than with dishes such as aubergine parmigiana.
Choose only organic
Choosing organic wine is always advantageous, both for the absence of synthetic pesticide residues (and their failure to spread into the environment) and for the reduced quantity of sulphites, allowed in smaller quantities compared to ‘conventional’, i.e. non-organic, wine.
The choice of organic is even more important, in the case of Orange wine, precisely because it is a wine macerated on the skins which otherwise can favor the release of agrochemical residues.
Less sulfur dioxide and sulphites
Maceration of orange wine allows you to reduce the use of sulfur dioxide (sulphur dioxide, E 220, an antimicrobial preservative). Sulphites E221 and E228, in turn, are not necessary since their primary function – whitening white wines – is not required in Orange wine.
This reduces the risks of allergic reactions and intolerances to sulphites, which entail the obligation in the EU to specify their presence on the label, when their content is equal to or greater than 10 mg/kg. Furthermore, according to scientific research, the human organism metabolises natural wine more easily. (1)
Natural, orange, organic wine. A la carte
Orange wines, organic and even natural – although sometimes criticized by mainstream oenology, the large producers and their representatives (2) – are starting to appear on the menus of starred restaurants, wine shops and wine bars. And it is nice to observe the growing success of small productions that are very attentive to biodiversity and tradition, under the banner of ‘drink less, drink better’.
Cinzia De Bellis
Footnotes
(1) Marta Strinati. Natural wine is metabolized better than conventional. Scientific study . GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(2) Dario Dongo, Silvia Giordanengo. Natural wine, the big lobbies and the European Commission try to oppose . GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
