Orange wine: what exactly is it? The complete guide
Orange wine is not made with oranges, nor with an orange grape. It is a white wine vinified like a red — that is to say, with prolonged maceration on the grape skins. This skin contact gives it its amber color, its tannins, and its atypical aromas. An orange wine is, above all, a question of method, not grape variety.
Where does orange wine come from?
Orange wine is not a recent invention. It is actually one of the oldest ways of making wine in the world. In Georgia (the country, not the American state), winemakers have been vinifying their white grapes with the skins in buried terracotta jars — the qvevri — for over 6,000 years. Friuli (Italy) kept this tradition alive in the 20th century. This is where the revival of orange wine in Europe began in the 1990s-2000s, driven by winemakers seeking to reconnect with ancestral practices.
Today, orange wine is one of the most discussed — and most misunderstood — styles in the world of natural wine. It is often associated with natural wine because both share the same values: minimal intervention, native yeasts, no additives. But an orange wine can technically be produced using conventional winemaking. In reality, almost all orange wines on the market are natural or organic wines.
The principle: skin maceration
Everything starts with a white grape. In classic white wine production, the grapes are pressed quickly after harvest to extract clear juice — the skins are immediately eliminated. This juice ferments alone, without contact with the solid parts of the grape.
For an orange wine, we do the opposite: the juice stays in contact with the skins for days, weeks, sometimes months. During this maceration, the skins give the juice their pigments (which provide the amber color), their tannins (which provide structure and slight bitterness), and complex aromas that are not found in a classic white. Our article how an orange wine is made details each step of this process.
What color, what taste?
The color varies from pale golden yellow to deep amber depending on the duration of maceration and the grape variety. An orange wine with short maceration (2-5 days) will visually resemble a golden white. A long-maceration wine (several months) will be an intense copper orange, sometimes almost brown.
On the nose and palate, typical aromas include: dried apricot, quince, honey, orange blossom, tea, fresh walnuts, mild spices, turmeric. On the palate, you find the freshness of a white but with a fuller texture, light tannins, and greater length. It is a wine that sits between white and red — neither one nor the other, truly itself. To understand the origin of this color and these aromas, read our article why orange wine has this color and taste.
Which grape variety to make orange wine?
Theoretically, all white grape varieties can make an orange wine. But some are better suited than others, as their skins are rich in polyphenols and potential aromas:
- Pinot Gris: slightly pink skins that give the wine a copper color and aromas of exotic fruits and spices.
- Gewurztraminer: very aromatic pink skins that amplify floral and spicy notes.
- Chenin Blanc: thin skins but rich in acidity and fruity aromas — orange Chenin wines often have beautiful mineral tension. To learn more about this variety, our article Chenin Blanc in BIB provides the keys.
- Muscat: very fragrant skins that produce intense, floral orange wines.
- Georgian varieties (Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane): specifically developed for this type of winemaking for millennia.
Is orange wine a natural wine?
Not necessarily by definition, but in practice, almost always. Skin maceration is a technique that requires impeccable raw material — healthy, well-ripened grapes without chemical residues — and controlled spontaneous fermentation. This is precisely the work of the natural winemaker. An orange wine produced with treated grapes and industrial yeasts could exist, but would be pointless — the maceration would amplify defects as much as qualities.
Most of the orange wines you will find at LET IT BiB are natural or certified organic wines. To understand what these labels concretely imply, our article what is natural wine gives a summary.
Orange wine in a BIB: does it work?
Yes — and very well indeed. Orange wines produced for consumption over a few weeks (lighter styles, short maceration) adapt perfectly to the BIB format. The airtight pouch protects the wine from oxidation between glasses, which is particularly important for these wines that are often low in sulfur. An orange wine in a BIB is also an opportunity to discover it glass by glass, without feeling obliged to finish a bottle in one evening. Discover our selection of orange wines in BIB.
How to serve an orange wine?
An orange wine is served between 12 and 14°C — cooler than a red, less so than most whites. It often benefits from being decanted for 15 to 30 minutes, especially if it is young or if its aromas seem closed. The ideal glass: a medium-sized red wine glass, not too narrow, so the aromas can express themselves. Our dedicated article how to serve an orange wine details all this.
Frequently asked questions about orange wine
Is orange wine sweet?
No, in almost all cases. Orange wine is a dry wine — the grape sugars have been entirely transformed into alcohol during fermentation. The perception of sweetness that some feel comes from the fruity aromas (apricot, quince, honey) and the full texture on the palate, not from residual sugar. Sweet orange wines do exist, but it is rare and always indicated on the label.
Can you put an orange wine in the fridge?
Yes, to cool it down before serving. Count on 1 hour in the refrigerator to reach 12-14°C, or 20 minutes in the freezer. However, between glasses, a BIB can very well stay at room temperature (in a cool place, away from light) — the airtight pouch takes care of it. To learn all about storing BIBs, our guide BIB questions answered covers everything.
Does orange wine cause more headaches than a classic white wine?
No, generally speaking. Skin maceration does not increase the sulfite content — it can even reduce it, since the natural tannins in the skins act as a protective barrier against oxidation, which often allows for less sulfur to be added. The histamines present in the skins could in theory play a role in very sensitive people, but this is not unique to orange wines. For the issues of sulfites and health, our article what are sulfites separates fact from fiction.