Almost everyone is familiar with orange wines by now and if you aren’t, don’t worry you’re still in the right place. Orange wine is white wine that has extended skin contact time. Most often orange wine is almost always made to be a natural wine resulting in some really funky bottles. If you what to expand your wine palette check out the list below for some unique and fun bottles of orange wine.
This post is all about orange wines you are going to want to drink all season long.
1. Christina
Region: Niederosterreich, Austria
Grape Varietals: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: dry, full-bodied, citrus, stone fruit, and herbaceous
Wine producer Christina Netzl comes from a wine producing family and has been amongst the vines since she was very young. After Netzl studied wine and oenology in London she returned to her family’s vineyard. In 2013 they started the transition to organic farming and in 2018 they were officially certified organic. Christina has been practicing ancient wine making the past 10 years which inspired the line of natural wines the vineyard now produces. The orange wine Christina is one of the shining stars of natural wines coming out of this line.
2. Borgo Savaian Aransat 2021
Region: Fruili Venezia Giulia, Italy
Grape Varietals: Field Blend of Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes: savory, bruised peach, cashew, medium-bodied
Three generations of the Bastiani family have ties to the Collio region which is a region in Italy known for orange wines. From their vineyard you are only going to find Aransat in two ways filtered or unfiltered. The family believes in the wine they are making and the attention they have put into it has paid off. It has landed them on the Top 100 Wines of Italy for Lica Gardini & Luciano Ferraro’s Guidebook.
3. Domaine Matassa Cuvée Marguerite
Region: Roussillon, France
Grape Varietals: Muscat d’Alexandrie, Macabeu and Muscat
Tasting Notes: citrus, fruit forward, with a well-balanced and lingering finish
Coming from the south of France this orange wine is embodying terroir with the climate the Mediterranean Sea provides in this region. The vineyard is farmed organically and biodynamically providing wines that are sustainable and environmentally conscious.
4. Cantina “Margo Fiero”
Region: Umbria, Italy
Grape Varietals: Grechetto
Tasting Notes: fresh herb, citrus, medium-bodied
Carlo Tabbarini is producing wines in the most natural way and in the same region his father and grandfather produced wines before him. Tabbarini is celebrating transparency in his wine making by using biodynamic farming practices. After the wine has gone through fermentation using natural occurring yeast it is bottled unfiltered. Going through this natural process delivers a funky and interesting orange wine.
5. Cannavale Insula Felix 2020
Region: Campania, Italy
Grape Varietals: Falaghina
Tasting Notes: wild herbs, fresh peach, minerality, sharp acidity
Cannavale winery is set 300 meters above sea level and is surrounded by a forest of chestnut trees. The wine producer is taking low intervention to a new level with zero driveway access to the vineyard. Cannavale Insula Felix is going through a Pet Nat fermentation which means all the natural occurring yeast is left in the wines during the bottling process. The yeast consumes any natural sugars that might be left in the bottle which creates a dry and sparkling wine. Falaghina produced in this way creates a fresh and bubbly orange wine.
6. Oskar Maurer, Fodor 2019
Region: Subotica, Serbia
Grape Varietals: Grasac
Tasting Notes: full-bodied, rich, floral, ginger, apricot, pineapple, nuttiness
This wine goes through spontaneous fermentation meaning it is using the natural occurring yeast the grapes provide. It is also low intervention which goes hand in hand with spontaneous fermentation. Low invention can look different for each wine producer. For Fodor it looks like horses tending the fields and planting indigenous grape varietals. This orange wine celebrated the powers of using natural processes to develop a crowd pleasing and very drinkable beverage.
7. Iapetus Tectonic 2021
Region: Vermont, USA
Grape varietals: La crescent
Tasting notes: medium-bodied, white pepper, rose water, tea, raisin, tart finish
This wild orange wine is grown in a Vermont vineyard in a sustainable way. The grapes see neutral oak for three and a half months and are blended with a portion of grape that are aged seven months in stainless steel. There is allotted time for these grapes to merge before the bottling process is finished. This results in an aromatic and complex orange wine.
Do not miss out on these orange wines this season. Each of these bottles are crafted with care and sustainably so you can sip away with a clear conscious knowing that your wines are helping the environment instead of hurting it. For the avid natural wine drinkers this list will not disappoint. For the newbies of orange wine drinking, you will know exactly how you feel about orange wine after you make your way through these bottles.
