Orange wine: a taste of the wild (yeast!)

When we first start getting to know something about wines, people presents us to 3 types: Reds, Whites and Rosés. However this is a simplification of a so much more colored world. Each of this colors has nuances, from pale to deep ones. And just to be more extreme, right now there is like a bunch of blue wine producers in the world, for example.

Some weeks ago I drunk for the first time in my life, an orange wine. That was an experience like the first time I had a lambic beer, but better, because nowadays I have much more developed taste buds. The orange wines are white ones made by red wine methods. Explaining: To produce a red wine we let the grapes with skin and pips, those give to the liquid the tannin, color and bitterness, while it is fermenting; and to produce white wines we take off peels and pips to the fermenting process, this is why those wines usually have neither tannins (just a little bit, sometimes), bitterness, nor color (kind a red ones). However the orange wines are usually made with white grapes, but the fermenting process takes skins and pips, inside a ceramic vessel, that is buried and let for four days to one year (sometimes). Then, the orange wines aren't exactly white ones, nor red ones, and definitely not rosé. They are a unique kind, fresh, but same time, so rich in flavors, with tannins, acidity, bitterness, taste like a lot of condiments (white pepper, coriander seeds, nutmeg), honey, citric fruits and there is that unmistakable taste of wild yeast.

Orange wines are not something new and technological, that's exactly the opposite. This kind of wines are ancient and now they are back because of hipsters and this culture of natural wines and organic food, all over the world. Italy and Slovenia have the most iconic orange wines, however since the 90's there are producers also in Spain and USA (Oregon) and more recently some others are producing, like: Argentina, Chile and South Africa.

In my opinion, a newbie should never start in the wine world by an orange wine, because they are too complex and may scare some people at first sight. Nevertheless I guess those people who use to say that they are "beer people" and they don't like wine, I would recommend to start in the wine world by an orange, because It's in the between of those two (wine and beer).

These wines would pair perfectly with spicy food and fatty ones. I already paired with a "pulpo a la parrilla" with spicy gravy and the smoked from the octopus with the spicy and well condimented gravy, were just perfect by similarity, with the wine; on another time I paired it with some "empanadas" (pasties filled with a meat stew) and was also delicious, because the tannins and acidity helped to make lighter the fatty of the food and the stew's condiments were complementary to the wine flavors.


I'm planning a visit to an orange wine producer, so soon I will probably post some more about this.

Check the temperature of your beer/wine

There are some "rules" about wine (or other beverages) serving temperature. Generally, on the label you'll find the information about the temperature that the beverage's creator identifies like the perfect one. I added in this post two tables with ideal wine and beer serving temperatures according to classical school, however as for those and other alcohol stuff, that's all relative.

For me, what works better is to find mine perfect serving temperature for each beverage, by tasting in different ones (around: 6℃; 11℃; 15℃; and 18℃). Then, it's possible to perceive distinct flavors in each temperature, so I can choose my favorites.


For example, in Brazil, there is a delicious beer called "Funky & Sour" from Tupiniquim brewery, the label says: serving temperature between 2˚C and 5˚C. However, "by rule" you should serve a sour beer between 4˚C and 10˚C. In fact, everything below 4˚C has no flavor at all, you drink just to cool off. And the lower the temperature the less the funky  flavors (the Brett ones!!) will appear. So of course, for those who doesn't like brettanomyces flavors (that delicious sourness!!) it's preferable to have a Funky & Sour at the label suggested temperature, for those who like brett flavors, perhaps should have it's by the rule, on a conservative way, try around 6˚C, but for those who absolutely LOVES brett like I do, I suggest to try around 9˚C.

Many weeks ago I posted a text about pairing food with beverages and how this subject  has been changed by years, concluding that in despite of the told "rules" of classical school of sommelierie, the preferences of the client are more important. And so, this works for serving temperature too. The job is to know which flavors will rise at each temperature and for different beverages. Then just adapt to the clients favorite tastes.

Another good example concerning to pleased the person who is drinking: a merlot is a wine to have between 15˚C and 18˚C, by rule, because is a red wine whose body is medium plus; this week I drank one from Carmen vineyard (Chile) at around 11˚C. The red plum flavor was lighter, as the alcohol sensation too, the tannins and acidity was a little bit higher and the cedar flavor was gone, but a leather taste has come up. That was a very hot day so that temperature of the wine was great to cool off and the new flavors of that wine wasn't bad, they were just different, this experience just made me know some other characteristics from an "old friend". And was perfect pairing with some homemade phyllo squares stuffed with goat cheese and black olives from Atacama Desert.


Sources: The Oxford Companion to Beer by Garrett Oliver; Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher; Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette; WSET books content.