The production of Orange wine has its roots in the ancient Italian and Georgian tradition. It emerges briskly on international markets, also thanks to the growing success of natural wines.
Orange Wine, the origins
Fine wine, fresh and at the same time full-bodied, Orange is not clear like white wine nor dense like red. It belongs to the natural wine movement and is still unfamiliar to large-scale distribution channels.
The amber orange color inspires its name, unfortunately in English, ‘Orange Wine’. Although it has been known for millennia, in Italy as in Georgia, as a macerated white wine.
Its production originates from ancient techniques of macerating white grapes with skins for very long times.
This ancient tradition was later rediscovered after World War II in Italy, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and subsequently explored in various parts of the world such as France, Spain, New Zealand, and Africa.
Flavors and colors
The combination of different processes in production gives Orange wine peculiar flavors and colors:
- the color derives from contact with the skins and takes on different shades depending on maceration times, which are very short for rosé wines and longer for orange ones, from a minimum of 24 hours up to about 6 months
- the presence or absence of oxygen during maceration in turn affects the color tones that can shift towards orange (in an oxidative environment) or towards golden (in a reductive environment).
The long maceration makes Orange wine suitable for aging in containers ranging from terracotta, amphorae to steel, wood, or cement barrels.
Tasting
The tasting reveals a complex wine, both on the nose and on the palate.
On the nose, Orange wine recalls 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 the orange wine has a marked body and imparts a perception that includes both a mild tannin and umami.
Some wines are spicy with odors of cinnamon, cloves and saffron. With a general recall to the sea and white flowers.
Pairings
Orange wine pairs perfectly with fatty fish, raw or smoked, or with white and flavorful meats such as lamb and kid.
For vegetarians it is an excellent companion to typical Mediterranean soups, rather than dishes such as eggplant parmigiana.
Choose only organic
Choosing organic wine is always advantageous, both for the absence of synthetic pesticide residues (and their non-dispersion in the environment) and for the reduced amount of sulfites, allowed in lower quantities compared to 'conventional' wine, i.e. non-organic.
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 might otherwise favor the release of agrochemical residues.
Less sulfur dioxide and sulfites
The maceration of orange wine allows reducing the use of sulfur dioxide (sulfur dioxide, E 220, an antimicrobial preservative). Sulfites E221 and E228, in turn, are not necessary since their primary function – whitening white wines – is not required in Orange wine.
Thus the risks are reduced of allergic reactions and sulfite intolerances, which require in the EU to specify their presence on the label when their content is equal to or greater than 10 mg/kg. Moreover, according to scientific research, the human body metabolizes natural wine more easily. (1)
Natural wine, orange, organic. À la carte
Orange wines, organic and also natural – although sometimes criticized by mainstream oenology, the major producers and their representatives (2) – are beginning 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 very attentive to biodiversity and tradition, in the spirit of 'drink less, drink better'.
Cinzia De Bellis
Notes
(1) Marta Strinati. Natural wine is metabolized better than conventional wine. Scientific study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 29.12.19
(2) Dario Dongo, Silvia Giordanengo. Natural wine, the big lobbies and the European Commission try to oppose. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.11.20
Cinzia De Bellis
Nutrition biologist and wellness coach. Expert in sustainable food. Instagram profile https://foxly.me/bJqFaK
