What is orange wine?

You can be forgiven for asking “what is orange wine?” because it’s not that common. Orange wine is made from the juice of white grapes which is allowed to sit on the white skins for days, weeks or perhaps months, depending on the wine-maker’s preference – and yes, it definitely has an orange tint to it!

Orange wine has been around for thousands of years. It’s thought to have originated in the country of Georgia, commonly regarded as the birthplace of wine. Orange wine has had a “rebirth” of sorts over the last few decades, when modern wine-makers decided they wanted to try something different by returning to the roots of wine-making.

Tannin anyone?

Orange wine has more tannin in it than the white wine you normally buy because of the contact with the skins. So you might be a little surprised when you taste it – if your eyes were closed, you could be forgiven for thinking you were drinking a red wine.

Pairing orange wine with food

Because of its tannins and often very dry profile, you can serve orange wine with red meats or fish. Even curry is a good bet. Experiment and see what you like.