ORANGE WINE is Hip

13590420_10157227209470249_3239036258380321977_nWe have received an influx of inquiries into Orange wine and thought it suiting to put together a post explaining what Orange wine is and provide some great orange wine sipping suggestions alongside it.

What is Orange wine?

Despite how it might sound, there are no oranges used to make orange wine. It is made using white grapes. It is a process where the skins and seeds are left in contact with the juice giving it an orange hued colour. The contact can be as little as a few days and as long as over one year! Many of the world’s wine regions are producing varying styles with Italy, France and Slovenia the more common places.

The contact the skin has with the juice imparts tannin and colour similarly to the process of making red wine. In turn, the wine has more structure, with some of the colour also coming from lignin in the grape seeds. On the palate they can be full bodied, dry and even have tannin like taste (just like red wine). Flavours are often described with flavours of honey, bruised apple, dried orange rind, and sometimes a certain sourness.

Because of their bold flavours, orange wines can be paired with more serious or intensely flavoured dishes, including curry, Korean and traditional Japanese. They can also be paired with a wide range of meats from beef to fish.

Another wonderful thing about Orange wine is that it is often made using sustainable practices/is considered a natural wine. If you are curious to explore these wines, we are offering the following options.

You can also head down to Burdock and Co and ask your server to try a selection. I highly recommend it. The food, staff and space are wonderful.

2014 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Lazio $30.43 + taxes ($34.99)
Giampiero Bea collaboration with the Sisters at Monastero Suore, a Cistercian monastery in Vitorchiano, 90 minutes north of Rome. The Coenobium is fermented on its skins that comes from the Malvasia, Verdicchio, Grechetto and Trebbiano vines the Sisters tend organically.