Allison Lyzenga

9.0

Pale gold; medium plus intensity aromas of nectarine, peach skin, subtle peach leaf, white grapefruit; dry, medium acid, medium alcohol, medium plus body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; round and full on palate, perfectly ripe — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

I love orange wine. 🧡 Better explained, I love wine made with white grapes that received extended skin contact (maceration) during the fermentation process. This extended skin contact deepens the color of the resulting wine and enhances the wine’s texture, tannins, and aromatics.  Generally, the longer the maceration period, the greater its impact on the resulting wine. 👍

By contrast, a more typical white winemaking process would involve crushing and pressing the grapes off their skins, removing the skins and seeds, prior to fermentation. 👀

This technique of fermenting white wines “on the skins” derives from an ancient and traditional Georgian 🇬🇪 winemaking process of sealing whole, crushed grapes in a clay vessel – called a qvevri – that is buried underground to be kept cool for the period of fermentation, storage, and aging.  When white grapes are used in this process, the result is an amber wine. 🙌🙌

The orange winemaking technique has now been adopted throughout the world, but some of my favorite examples come from Northeast Italy and Slovenia (neighboring regions).  🇮🇹 🇸🇮

My first experience with orange wine was in 2019 – clearly, I’m still a baby on this journey – dining at Restaurant Montcalm in Paris.  I was captivated by the color, aromatics, and incredible food-pairing abilities of the orange wine we tasted with our first course, which was made from the Loire grape Melon de Bourgogne.

Whether it’s enjoyed as a solo sipper or paired with food, I so appreciate the versatility of these wines and am taking much pleasure expanding my orange-wine horizons. 😆😆😆

Here we have a Slovenian orange wine made from a blend of Ribolla Gialla (Rebula), Malvasia, Sauvignonasse, each of which were fermented and handled separately in different vessels and with use of a range of malolactic fermentation, lending richness and complexity.

This wine offers aromas and flavors of baked pear and apple 🍎 🍐 , lemon pith, orange peel, citrus and cherry blossom 🌸 , and wet slate. It has a rich texture and cream secondary notes. It’s lovely and hits the spot on this gorgeous spring evening. 🎯

Krasno, Orange, Vintage 2018, ABV 13%, from Brda, Slovenia.  $19.00 at Lowry Hill Liquors. — 5 years ago

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