We all know the classic trio — red, white, and rosé.
But what if we told you there’s a fourth color of wine quietly making its way back into cellars, wine bars, and tasting rooms around the world?
No, not the neon-blue bottles you sometimes see online.
We’re talking about something far older, more natural, and infinitely more fascinating — orange wine.
What Exactly Is Orange Wine?
Despite its name, orange wine has nothing to do with oranges. It’s made from white grapes, but crafted the way red wines are — fermented with their skins intact.
Normally, white wine is made by pressing the grapes first, extracting only the clear juice before fermentation. In orange winemaking, the skins, seeds, and sometimes even stems are left in contact with the juice during fermentation.
This process infuses the wine with pigments, tannins, and textures that transform it completely — the result is a deep amber or copper hue, somewhere between gold and sunset.
It’s ancient winemaking reborn.
What Does Orange Wine Taste Like?
The first sip can be surprising. Orange wines are dry, but they carry the structure and grip of a red wine, along with unexpected flavors:
dried citrus peel, apricot, honeycomb, wax, roasted nuts, even a salty tang or a touch of bitterness.
They often feel rich and slightly oily on the palate — unusual, but unforgettable.
Served cool, orange wine becomes a study in contrasts: vibrant fruit wrapped in earthy texture. Some drinkers love it immediately; others need a second glass to understand it. But once it clicks, it’s addictive.
An Ancient Tradition, Reborn
Orange wine isn’t a modern invention — it’s a rediscovery.
Thousands of years ago, in regions like Georgia, Slovenia, and northeastern Italy, winemakers routinely fermented white grapes with their skins. The practice faded with time and technology but never disappeared entirely.
In the last decade, a new generation of winemakers — inspired by natural and organic movements — has revived it. Today, orange wine is a symbol of craftsmanship and curiosity, showing up everywhere from boutique vineyards to the wine lists of Michelin-starred restaurants.
A Color Worth Exploring
Every great discovery in wine starts with curiosity.
Orange wine might not fit neatly into the traditional categories, but that’s precisely what makes it exciting. It bridges old and new, red and white — proof that even after thousands of years, wine can still surprise us.
So next time you see that mysterious amber bottle on the shelf, don’t hesitate. Open it, share it, and let the conversation begin.
This article was based on the YouTube video “What Is Orange Wine?” by Julien Miquel, created for the Bonner Private Wines YouTube Channel.
To dive deeper, watch the full video here and explore the world of orange wine in motion.
