Leaning into orange wine
it’s just the colour
O
range wine has been around for a while but is slowly gaining
popularity. It has turned wine
tasters’ beliefs about wine on their
head, as nothing expresses itself quite like skin
By Laura Milnes
contact does.
When pouring orange wine for guests or friends – a rose gold pinot gris or the enchanting amber hue of radikon – the reaction is almost always the same. “Wow, I’ve never tried a wine quite like this – is this made from oranges?” While it’s entrenched itself as a fixture among wine enthusiasts, what is special about the technique is the inherent stability skin contact provides. It forces the winemaker to slow down and allow the aromas to be coaxed out. It is a wine that requires patience. Andrew Etsell produces seven acres of siegerrebe in Abbotsford, B.C., and decided he wanted to experiment with skin contact. With the help of Matt Dumayne, winemaker of Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, B.C., they tried one tank, allowing the siegerrebe to ferment naturally, and macerate on the skins for 90 days. “The end result was a completely different wine than our traditional style that is typically off dry and aromatic,” says Etsell. “The aromatics stayed, but it expressed more steeped rose petals and earthiness. It was a very interesting experiment and we’ve continued to do it ever since.“ Likely the most special character about orange wine is its unique ability to pair with foods that can be difficult to match with. Because skin contact taps into an entirely different category of aromas, so too do the possibilities of what foods complement or contrast with it. Bailey Williamson, proprietor and winemaker on Vancouver Island, shared this sentiment when speaking about his orange ortega recently. “The food with wine thing – that’s where orange wines excel,” he says. “They’re very savoury, not meant to be consumed as an aperitif while sitting out on your back porch in the sun. That’s not how they show well. They do require some food, especially for the
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