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No, Orange wine is not made from oranges

Writer's picture: MeghanMeghan

Maybe you've heard of it, maybe not. But orange wine is out there although not as prominent as its cousins.


So let's start at the beginning and discuss how wine is made. I'll keep it basic and brief but just know there are more steps involved than what I list here.


White wine comes from 'white' grapes (actually the grapes can be green, grey, pink, yellow). The grapes are picked, sorted and pressed and the juice goes into a vat for the winemaker to do their magic on. The skins and seeds are then discarded.


Red wine comes from 'red' grapes (they are actually more blue, purple, black shades). The grapes are picked, sorted and pressed and the juice will stay with the skins and seeds for a while, decided by the winemaker, before moving into an oak barrel for aging.


Rose wine can be made a few different ways but most frequently the red grape juice spends a short amount of time with the skins & seeds to extract a bit of color. Then it is drained & separated and moves on to the vats.


So where does that leave us with orange wine ? Essentially, white grapes get to spend a little bit of time with the seeds & stems after being pressed. The wine extracts color from the skins of the grapes, and since most grapes aren't actually 'white' the juice takes on color from the yellow or pink grape skins. And so...orange wine is born.


It's a fun wine to bring out for guests since so few people have tried it. It is typically dry and it picks up a bit of tannin from the skins & seeds so it's a fun way to get the "I only drink red" and the "I prefer white" people to cohabitate and mingle. Serve it chilled, pair it with your cheese plate, enjoy it with wings or just sip it on the patio on a hot summer's day.



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