So, what’s so Orange about Orange Wine?

What with Covid seemingly behind us now and the wine world awakening from a slumber, its always good to remember that amongst many constants & changes these days, the supply of Organic, Biodynamic & Natural Wine certainly hasn’t wavered.

There’s never a shortage of bottles of “deliciously awesome grape juice” available on the market these days, and should one be willing to go exploring, there is always an opportunity to discover something enticing and unique.

I’ve been on a journey of discovery recently and have found some truly delicious wines that have re sparked my interest in Orange Wine.

For those who have been living under a rock recently and haven’t heard of Orange Wine before, you don’t know what you’re missing, and I implore you to get involved.

In short – Orange wine is a white wine where the grapes skins have been left in contact with the juice for a period, usually with zero sulphur added. The viticulture usually goes along with Organic or Biodynamics, with many of these wines spending time ageing in Amphora (large clay vessels), or a combination of steel tanks & oak to gain complexity and character.

Many people I’ve spoken to are often put off by Orange Wine at first. The very idea that a wine could be Orange in colour; “so has the wine had Orange’s added to it to make it Orange”, is one that often comes up in conversation. It takes a small amount of explaining to people to get them to understand that no, orange wine certainly hasn’t been made with Oranges, but it’s a process that has been carried out by mankind for thousands of years, yet with a recent surge in popularity, this can only be a good thing surely.

I remember when I started my Sommelier career, the very notion of a wine being Orange in colour to me would be daft. I mean… I spent most of my time at that part of my career tasting very expensive Bordeaux & Burgundy, which (don’t get the wrong was fun), but my palate and tastes have certainly evolved since then…. Orange Wine is here to stay.

Many winemakers have been making orange wine literally like – forever – and a few have only just begun. There are many styles of that come under this “banner”. They can range from lightly macerated, all the way to a dark copper in colour, and everything in between. It’s important to remember however that nearly all of them are dry, textured and (most importantly) fun!

One of my favourite wines in this style now comes all the way from California, USA.

Benevolent Neglect is owned/run by Ben Brenner and Matt Nagy. This duo makes some serious wine from Organic vineyards up and down California with as little intervention as possible. This is made from 100% Ribolla Gialla, a native variety originally from Northeast Italy. The Bengier Vineyard is in Oak Knoll, Napa, farmed entirely organically by Steve Matthiasson and sitting around 2.5ha in size.

The wine was fermented for 15 days on skins and saw some barrel ageing too. I really love this wine. It’s a style that for me is a great introduction to the world of Orange Wine. It’s fresh, vibrant and has this spiced fruit, mineral driven core. It’s dry and zesty, and is to be honest, just fun.

ABV is sitting at 12.5%. It’s available from the team at Nekter Wines and is worth every penny.

Benevolent Neglect Ribolla Gialla 2018 — Nekter Wines - £45.66

Another that I’ve tasted recently was the Bencze, ‘Autochthon’, Badacsony, Hungary, 2020. This is a blend of 35% Furmint, 49% Hárslevelű, 16% Kéknyelű. Located on the slopes of Lake Balaton is Western Hungary, these wines are incredible!

Hungary is an interesting one for me. To many people a famous place to find some super tasty, sweet wines based mostly on Furmint, the country also produces some utterly delicious examples of dry, mineral driven wines made from Organic & Biodynamic practices.

To make this wine the grapes were destemmed (Furmint), with the Hárslevelű & Kéknyelű going into a direct press, followed by skins for 2 weeks, with a total aging of 9 months in amphora. The wine is medium bronze in colour, wine is aromatic, lots of bruised orchard fruits, wildflowers, intense minerality, the palate is fresh, vibrant and fun. There’s a slight salinity, yet the acidity is bracing & delicious. It’s super tasty and worth checking out if you can.

Available from Roland Wines - Bencze - Autochthon 2019 — ROLAND WINES for £27.00.