Orange You Curious: The Lowdown on Orange Wine

Heyy Winers! If you keep up with wine trends, you've likely seen and maybe even tasted an orange wine by now and you may be wondering, what makes it orange? I have heard many different theories from wine drinkers including the wine is dyed that color, they ferment it with orange peels and even that they mix different wines to get that color. I’m here to debunk all the myths, mysteries and conspiracies. Join me as I give you the lowdown on orange wine!

Believe it or not, the color of orange wine is entirely natural. It's a combination of maceration (time on grape skins) and careful oxidation. Traditional white wine is made by crushing grapes, extracting the juice and then immediately removing skins, stems and seeds. This is what results in the pale color of wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. With orange wine, the grapes are left to macerate on the skins which results in an orange and sometimes even amber color. Purposeful exposure to oxygen can make these hues even deeper. The depth of the color will depend on how long the grape skins were left in the juice, this can be just a few days to even a few months. 

So there you have it. See below for some recommendations on orange wines to try:

Grape Abduction Orange Wine - Slovenia

The Vice Orange - Napa Valley, California 

Clarendelle Amber Wine - Bordeaux, France