At a recent dinner at Hearthside, I enjoyed an orange wine that one of my friends had purchased in Oregon.  Orange wines do not taste like oranges; orange refers to the color, rather than the taste.   Orange wines are white wines that have been left to soak on their grape skins (macerated) a little longer than usually, which imparts some color, body, and tannins from the skins to the juice.  The color may be dark yellow to dark orange, and may taste like a white wine or sometimes a sour cider or saison beer.  Originating in Georgia (the country, not the state), they’ve really taken off in Italy.

The Oregon orange wine we tasted is called “Tears of Vulcan”, made by Brianne Day of Day Wines, and named for the volcanic soils in the Willamette Valley.  A blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and Muscat grapes, the grapes were crushed and left to ferment on their skins for three weeks, with daily pigeage (punching the grape cap back down into the wine), and then put into oak barrels for about 8 months, where it went through MLF (malolactic fermentation) before bottling.  It was light orange in color, and reminded me of a sour cider more than a wine, but paired really well with the vegetable-heavy dishes.  This was bought at the Winery ($30). 

Locally, I found Radikon’s Ribolla Gialla (500ml) from the Fruili region of Italy (Northeast Italy, bordering Austria and the Adriatic Sea).  Made by Stanislao Radikon (“Stanko”) from 100% Ribolla Gialla grapes, the juice is fermented on the skins for 4 months with natural yeasts, with no temperature control, and no sulfur added, and then aged in neutral oak for two years before aging in the bottle another three years.  It’s a 500 ml bottle, which usually indicates a sweet wine, but this bottle contains a dry wine that is full-bodied and savoury, perfect for hearty food.  $33 at Wineworks. 

My hope is that if people start asking for orange wines locally, the stores will start stocking more of them.  Orange wine is the “new Rosé,” for those who find Rosé passé. (Never!)