Is that Wine Orange?

Wine.

No, it’s not your eyes playing tricks on you. A relative newcomer to the wine circuit is “orange wines”. Although they have hints of orange essence, they are named that due to the color which ranges from dark orange to slightly pinkish.



The technical reason that the wine is orange is best explained by Eric Asimov who writes an article for The New York Times called Pour. He states, “Ordinarily, producers of white wine might permit a couple of hours or a day at most of skin contact. Pigments and tannins reside in the skins, and most producers want to avoid adding tannins and astringency to the wine. But these wines may be left to macerate with the skins for days, weeks or even months at a time, which lends the wine color in shades ranging from pink, to ruddy cider to in fact vivid orange. It also gives them a texture that is gritty, tannic or beautifully captivating.”

My tasting left me slightly undecided. I found the wine to be very unusual yet with a distinctive taste that kind of grows on you. It has a slight citrus and berry flavor with a bit of an acidic after taste. The truth is that after a couple glasses at 14.5% alcohol you soon forget all about the after taste.

The wine starts at around $18 and works its way upward. It is definitely worth buying a couple bottles to start off the evening, if only as a conversation piece.