You’ve tried red wine, white wine, and pink wine (we hope). But have you tried orange wine? Today on Somm Tips, we explore this up-and-coming wine style. What is it, how is it made, and what food pairs best with it? This is a great introduction to orange wine, just in time for October, when orange is in style!
Keri Levens, the wine director at Chefs Club, is the host of today’s video. You may remember her from Rosé Myths Debunked, or her recent video explaining how she went to Tuscany and made wine. She also dressed up as a wine bottle for our Hallowine episode. Now she’s back to demystify a wine that we’ve seen popping up on shelves all over New York City, but that dates back potentially thousands of years. Also known as “skin-contact wine,” orange wine is a white wine that spends some time in contact with its own grape skins. In white wine, the grape skins are discarded; in red wine, the vinified juice is macerated with the red skins to give pigment and tannin (check out Paul Grieco’s What is Wine? for a fun primer on this subject). Orange wine is right in the middle: a white wine that sits on its skins like a red wine. Hello tannins, hello complexity, hello color. This process is the key differentiator that puts orange wine in its own category, and that’s why we thought it was worthy of its own special episode.
Thanks to Keri Levens for hosting today’s video, and to Chefs Club for having us at their beautiful restaurant in NoLita. If you liked today’s video on orange wine, and love learning about food and wine, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Instagram. Thanks for watching!
