Here’s a little more info on the somewhat misunderstood category of ‘orange wine’ aka amber aka skin contact aka skinsy aka orange juice aka juicy juicy fresh aka yummy yummy goodness. Only recently has this style of wine found its feet in New Zealand, however it is by no means a modern invention, despite its newfound renaissance. 

Georgia, in Eastern Europe is largely considered to be the first known consumers (over 6000 years ago BTW) of fermented grape juice, and they were making their wines in a similar way to how we’re making ‘orange’ wines today. Slovenia and Italy also have centuries of history with this style of vino, particularly in the early 1900’s and are almost solely responsible for its meteoric rise in recent years. Since the recent explosion of this style, we can't think of a wine producing country that isn't having a go, New Zuland included.. 

So what actually is it? Simply put, orange wine is white wine that’s been made like red. Disclaimer; There are no actual oranges used. 

Firstly, It’s worth mentioning, if you squeeze freshly harvested red wine grape, clear juice runs out, the point here being, the colour in wine comes from the soaking the juice with the skins and seeds or in science chat- ‘maceration’.

White wine production involves separating the skins, seeds and bunches from the juice inside, via the ‘direct press’ method after which point the skins are composted or distilled. Red wine is red by macerating the juice with the skins and seeds. Think of the juice as water and the skins and seeds like a tea bag. The longer the teabag is in the water, the darker and more tannic the tea, for arguments sake, the same thing applies to red wine making, and hence, skin contact (aka orange) wine making.

Orange wines can be made in a myriad of ways and the point at which a wine can be classed as orange is somewhat metaphorical. As a broad rule, shorter skin contact leads to more fruity tropical wines, (The Hermit Ram ‘Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc) with extended maceration (we’re talking months) far more savoury and structured (IAGO Mtsvane). 

It's important to acknowledge that orange wines are describing the process of production more so than the finished colour of the wine. Pinot Gris has pink skins and with extensive maceration looks like a light red or or rose for example. (Keep an eye out for ‘Podfuck’ by Milan Nesterac, making its debut in NZ later this year). 

Lastly, If you’ve had an orange wine before and didn't like it, we urge you to try again. As mentioned, asking for an orange wine at one restaurant may be an entirely different experience from trying one at another. Remember the first time you had coffee, it was a weird but wonderful experience that at the time was maybe hard to understand, now you drink 5 flat whites a day.