Discovering Orange Wine is October’s New Year’s Fun Wine resolution
Orange Wine?
Yep! And it is not made out of oranges. But you knew that, right? They really should call it skin contact wine, but it’s not as catchy.
Nope!!! No oranges were involved in the making of this wine.
At all!
New Year’s resolution in October?
Yep! I made this one about orange wine since October in the United States is all about pumpkins and Halloween. Everything is orange!
For those not in the United States, orange wine is still everywhere. You may not appreciate the theme but the info is still good to know.
Time out to discuss the monthly resolutions:
Welcome!
YOU CAN CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR IN REVIEW!! OR READ ON:
If you have been doing this all along:
Welcome back!
If you remember this part, skip on down. I’ll let you know when to come back.
If you don’t care, skip on down. I’ll let you know when to come back.
If you are intrigued, read on.
New Year’s wine resolutions are the way to go.
Wine Resolutions hold promise for good times and more joy!
January should not be the only time to make positive changes to your life.
No one should have to remember each one so here is a brief recap:
If you want to see what you’ve been missing, here are the links for the past monthly resolutions. Do them in any order. Feel virtuous that you have completed a New Year’s Resolution. Woo!
Click here for January. The first wine resolution was about Chardonnay wine and comparing Old World and New World wines. This one is the back story, and why resolving to eat more lemongrass offered no joy.
Click here for February. This resolution was all about Champagne. No downside to finding something to celebrate with Champagne.
Click here for March. March was all about the Beaujolais.
Click here for April. This resolution was about Riesling wine. It wears so many different hats. It also can totally mess with people who are trying to do a deductive blind tasting (that means they are trying to figure out what wine it is.)
Click here for May. We travelled to Spain. Such great value wines there.
Click here for June. That was an easy one. It was how not to be a lemming about wine. Don’t be a blind follower.
Click here for July. That was falling in love with Pinot Noir, even if it can be a heartbreaker.
Click here for August. That was having fun with Albariño wines. It was so fitting, because the made up wine holiday of National Albariño Day was August 1st.
Click here for September. I went way down the rabbit hole for this one. It was finding your way around the maze of French wine labels and rules.
Yoo-hoo! For those who wanted to skip the above:
You can come back now!!
Just letting you all know that I will be posting my final monthly wine resolutions in December. Of course, I could change my mind or mix it up and just do some occasionally. Since the whole point is resolving to have fun with wine, I will always being doing that. Just not as formally.
Orange wine time!
Let’s get started!
This is the first resolution that I will be doing alongside all of you.
Wait! What?!?
Yep. I have never had orange wine.
Say, what??
Orange wine has become incredibly popular lately. Since I do not want to be a lemming (please see the June Resolution listed above), I did not want to just jump on the bandwagon. I am not a blind follower. At all. Nor should you be.
Don’t be a wine drinking lemming!
But do be open to discovery.
However, I don’t want to be ignorant either.
I’ll tell you what I do know: Knowledge is always useful. Then we can all decide for ourselves how and when to discover orange wines.
Spoiler alert: Orange wine is not new! At all!
I’m assuming that everyone knows that the color of a wine comes from the skins. This is the time in class that you nod.
Also, orange wine can range in color from really orange to amber, and everything in between.
The wine is not sweet just because it can look like orange punch.
Let’s go way back in history when the grapes and the skins couldn’t be separated easily. I am talking ancient times. Wine has been around for thousands of years. Both white and red grapes were made the same way: they were crushed and macerated with the skins.
Hold on! What is maceration?
Maceration is the technical term for soaking grape skins in grape juice. If you search online, results for maceration only refer to red wines. For white wine, the grape skins are usually separated immediately.
And now with orange wine:
TADA! Everything old is new again!
Orange wine is made by keeping the white grapes in contact with the skin and seeds. Yep! At it’s most basic, that’s all it is. It is a direct descendent of ancient winemaking practices!
Why someone may want to drink orange wine, however, is an interesting question.
The answer should not be because everyone is doing it! Have we learned nothing?
The interest in orange wine seems to stem (not a pun!) from an interest in natural wine. Natural wine is basically wine that has the least interference from the winemaker. There is no legal definition of natural wine. Organic wine is a legally defined term. There is overlap somewhere along the line.
You are welcome to go down this rabbit hole. If you are adamant that your wine be organic and/or natural be sure to ask.
As for the taste of orange wine, there is a whole range. You would get a wide variation of tastes if you just said, “I’ll have a white wine.” It is no different with orange wine. It could be an even wider range than white wine.
Do NOT just ask for a glass of orange wine. This is not the time to say, “I’ll have what she is having.”
Orange wines can vary for many reasons.
1) Orange wine can be made from any white grape. It could be Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, or many grape types you’ve never heard of. Macabeo? Badiki? Moschofilero? Hands raised if you are aware of the flavor profiles of those last three. No?
I, personally, know nothing about those grape types. I plan to ask questions.
This orange wine adventure will be a wild ride for all of us, I gather.
2) Orange wine can be left on the skins for varying degrees of time. The skin and seeds and stems will impart more flavor the longer they are in contact with the juice of the grape. The same tannins you get from a red wine, you may get with an orange wine. If you dislike tannic wines, think about this when ordering an orange wine. Some orange wines will have barely noticeable tannins. It depends. Ask.
3) Orange wine may reflect the style of the winemaker. Just like any other wine, there can be stylistic differences. Some winemakers will make an orange wine that is barely different from a rosé. Some winemakers want to make what is known as a funky wine. Funky in this context can mean different things to different people. Usually this means non-fruit flavors. Think barnyard and earthy. Ask. I’ve also heard the word sweaty socks describing funky wine. When can that ever be a positive?!?! Seriously, ASK.
Even given these differences, there are many reasons why you may want to discover Orange Wine:
1) It really couldn’t be easier to fulfill a New Year’s resolution (hint, hint.) October is as good a time as January to do positive things.
2) Orange wines may be the wine you are missing in your repertoire. It may match well with your favorite foods. It is said, not sure by whom, that it is very versatile in this way. Try some and discover for yourself.
3) You actively want to expand your wine horizons. You may want to try a more complex wine. No downside.
4) You really like the idea of minimal intervention. It’s also historic!
5) You really like the look of orange wine, and want to see what all the hype is about.
6) Whatever reason you have is a great one. Exploring and discovery are the best ways to find wines you love!!
Good luck with your discoveries.
Hopefully this orange wine adventure will be fun!
