What Is Orange Wine? How It's Made and How to Enjoy It

Orange wine is an orange-hued wine made by fermenting white grapes with their skins and seeds, like a red. This "skin contact" method gives aromas you don't find in white wine, plus a substantial texture from light tannins.

How orange wine is made

Where normal white wine ferments juice only, orange wine ferments white grapes in contact with skins and seeds for a period, extracting colour, aroma and tannin from the skins. Georgia is considered its birthplace.

What food pairs with orange wine

Its grippy texture makes it superb with Japanese and ethnic cuisine — dashi-based dishes, fermented foods and spiced dishes that are hard to match with white wine.

Find orange wine

For the difference between red, white and rosé, see the differences between wine types. Browse the full wine list.

FAQ

Q. Is orange wine closer to red or white?
A. It's made from white grapes but vinified like a red, with light tannins and body. Serve lightly chilled and enjoy it like a red.