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What Is Orange Wine? An 8,000-Year-Old Style, Explained
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Orange wine is a white wine made with extra time on the grape skins. Instead of pressing the juice away straight after picking, winemakers leave it in contact with the skins, seeds and sometimes stems during fermentation, the way red wine is normally made. That contact turns pale grape juice into something amber, gold, or copper in the glass, with a texture closer to a light red than a typical crisp white.
You may be surprised to know it is an old-world wine rather than a new invention. Interest in orange wine has grown fast in recent years, making it one of the more talked-about wine categories among sommeliers and curious drinkers alike.
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How Is Orange Wine Made?
Orange wine is made by leaving white grape juice in contact with its skins during fermentation, instead of separating them straight away.
For most white wine, grapes are pressed quickly after picking, and the skins are set aside before fermentation starts, so the clear juice ferments on its own and stays pale. For orange wine, the crushed grapes, skins and juice all sit together in the fermentation vessel. Winemakers call this maceration, and the skins might stay in the mix for a few days or for many months, depending on the style the winemaker is after.
Jargon explained: maceration
Maceration means letting grape skins sit in contact with the juice, drawing out colour, tannin and flavour before or during fermentation.
According to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), November 2020, a wine can carry the official label “white wine with maceration” only after the skins have been in contact with the juice for at least one month, and the result is typically an orange-amber colour with a tannic structure. Some producers keep contact short for a lighter style. Others extend it for many months to build more depth and grip.
Why Is Orange Wine Orange?
Orange wine gets its colour from the same place red wine does: the grape skins. White grape skins hold pigments and compounds called phenolic compounds, even though the flesh and juice inside are pale, and normally those compounds never get the chance to affect the wine because the skins are removed before fermentation begins.
Jargon explained: phenolic compounds
Phenolic compounds are natural substances found in grape skins, seeds and stems. They include pigments and tannins, and together they shape a wine’s colour, structure and some of its flavour.
When the skins stay in the mix, those compounds slowly move into the wine. The resulting colour runs from pale gold through amber to deep copper, with a texture that carries visible grip from the tannin the skins release.
Jargon explained: tannin
Tannin is a natural compound from grape skins, seeds and stems that gives wine a dry, gripping feeling on the tongue, usually associated with red wine.
According to ACS Food Science & Technology, 2026, a study comparing Chardonnay made with and without skin maceration found the macerated wines held far more phenolic compounds, roughly 345 to 860 mg per litre against around 155 to 305 mg per litre in the standard wines, and kept a stronger antioxidant capacity too.
A 2023 review in the journal Agriculture (MDPI) adds that skin-contact white wines have shown markedly higher antioxidant activity than conventionally made whites in comparative studies, with one cited study reporting close to a three-fold increase in antiradical efficiency. Longer skin contact generally means a deeper colour and firmer tannin, while shorter contact gives a lighter blush with less grip.
What Does Orange Wine Taste Like?
Orange wine tends to taste drier, more textured, and more savoury than a typical white wine, with notes that lean toward dried fruit, tea, nuts, and baking spice rather than fresh citrus. The tannin from skin contact gives it a grip most white wines don’t have, closer to what you would notice in a light red, and some styles also pick up a faint nutty or oxidative note, similar to sherry, from the way they are made.
Flavour and weight shift a lot depending on maceration length and grape variety. A few days of contact might give a pale amber tint and a light textural lift, while several months can produce something much darker, drier and more tannic, closer in character to a rustic red. There is no single orange wine taste. Think of it as a spectrum running from dry white at one end to structured red at the other, with orange wine sitting somewhere in the middle.
Where Does Orange Wine Come From?
Orange wine’s roots trace back around 8,000 years to Georgia, where winemakers ferment grapes in large clay vessels called qvevri, buried underground to keep a steady temperature.
Jargon explained: qvevri
A qvevri is a large, egg-shaped clay vessel, traditionally buried in the ground, used in Georgia to ferment and age wine, including orange wine.
According to Decanter, May 2015, Georgia’s traditional qvevri winemaking method was formally recognised by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a status it shares with only a handful of other wine traditions worldwide.
The style faded from most of Europe once modern winemaking made pale, fresh white wine easier to produce consistently, then found new attention from producers in northern Italy and Slovenia from the 1990s onwards, who returned to longer skin contact as a deliberate choice rather than a leftover tradition.
The term “orange wine” itself is a recent invention. According to Decanter, June 2016, it was coined in 2004 by UK wine merchant David Harvey, who needed a way to describe skin-contact whites that didn’t fit neatly into the usual red, white or rosé categories.
Orange Wine vs White, Red and Rosé
Orange wine sits between white and red in how it is made. It uses white grapes but the red winemaking technique of skin contact.
| Wine Type | Grape Colour | Skin Contact | Typical Tannin | Colour In The Glass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White wine | White grapes | None or very brief | Low | Pale yellow to gold |
| Orange wine | White grapes | Weeks to months | Medium to high | Amber to copper |
| Rosé | Red grapes | Brief, hours to a day | Low | Pale pink |
| Red wine | Red grapes | Weeks | Medium to high | Ruby to deep purple |
England makes white wine in a much wider range of styles than orange wine alone. For the fuller picture, see the White Wine Guide, or browse England’s white wines directly.
What Food Goes Well With Orange Wine?
Orange wine’s tannin and texture make it more food-friendly than most white wines, especially with dishes that would usually clash with delicate whites. It works well with:
- Aged and hard cheeses: The tannin and acidity cut through the richness
- Umami-heavy dishes: Mushrooms, roasted vegetables, miso and soy-based sauces
- Spiced and fermented food: Kimchi, pickles and dishes with warming spice
- Fatty or salty meat: Charcuterie, roast chicken and slow-cooked cuts
According to a sommelier interviewed by Decanter, January 2025, orange wine is a natural match for vegetable-forward dishes with bold seasoning, standing in for the kind of pairing usually reserved for red wine at plant-based restaurants. Because it sits between white and red, it also works as a flexible bottle for a table with several different dishes, rather than needing to match one specific course.
How Should You Serve Orange Wine?
Orange wine is best served cooler than red but a little warmer than white, generally around 12 to 14°C. Too cold mutes the tannin and aroma, while room temperature can make the alcohol and tannin feel heavier than they should.
A standard white wine glass works well for lighter styles. For deeper, more tannic orange wines, a wider-bowled glass, closer to what you would use for red wine, gives the aromas more room to open up, and longer-macerated styles often benefit from 20 to 30 minutes of air before drinking, similar to decanting a young red.
Taste It For Yourself
Learn more about orange wine in person. Bolney Wine Estate runs tastings across the year, including our own Winemaker’s Edition orange wines, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, if you would like to try skin-contact wine made in England.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is orange wine sweet or dry?
Most orange wine is dry. Skin contact adds tannin and texture rather than sweetness, so it tastes closer to a dry red than a dessert wine.
Is orange wine the same as natural wine?
No. Orange wine describes a winemaking method: skin contact on white grapes. Natural wine describes an approach with minimal intervention. Many natural wines happen to be orange, but a wine can be orange and still be made conventionally, or natural and not be orange at all.
Does orange wine taste like white wine?
Not really. It has the tannin and structure of a red wine with the aromatics of a white grape. Most drinkers find it closer to a light red than a typical white.
How long does an open bottle of orange wine last?
An opened bottle generally keeps well for three to five days in the fridge with the cork back in, similar to a lighter red, thanks to the extra tannin and phenolic compounds from skin contact.
Can orange wine be made in England?
Yes. English winemakers are increasingly experimenting with skin contact on aromatic white grape varieties grown in the UK’s cool climate.
Sources
- Decanter, “From qvevri to glass: the fascinating journey of Georgian orange wine”
- Decanter, “Georgian winemaking method joins UNESCO heritage list”
- Decanter, “Orange wines: it’s time to get in touch”
- OIV, “White wine with maceration” (Resolution OIV-ECO 647-2020)
- ACS Food Science & Technology, 2026, Chardonnay maceration study
- Buican et al., “Orange Wine: The Resurgence of an Ancient Winemaking Technique”, Agriculture (MDPI), 2023
- Decanter, “What to pair with vegetarian & vegan food”
