Orange Wine

Discover orange wines selected by chefs and sommeliers from Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurants. A selection by credible and legitimate professionals to help you find your favorite orange wine.

We guide you toward the most attractive commercial and promotional offers online. You can confidently buy the best orange wines thanks to a reliable and impartial reference.

Best orange wines

With Bestwine • Online, the reference for the best orange wines:

Taste one of the best orange wines. Gift an exceptional bottle of orange wine. Enrich your bar or cellar with a prestige bottle of orange wine. Find restaurants where you can taste rare orange wine references. Discover all the information to better understand orange wine and its specificities so you can easily choose your brand or bottle of orange wine.

Alcohol volume of the orange wine: 13.6°

Alcohol volume of the orange wine: 13.6°

Best orange wine brands

Refer to the opinions of chefs, sommeliers, and bartenders from Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurants worldwide to discover the best orange wine brands in the world. A ranking and comparison of the most valued orange wine brands and bottles in Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurants, by expert specialists in haute cuisine.

Orange wine reference | Origin of the orange wine | Alcohol volume of the orange wine

The best orange wines on the wine menus of Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurants.

Orange wine

Orange wine, also called amber wine—particularly in Georgia—"orange wine" and "skin-contact wine," is a white wine obtained after maceration and fermentation of white grapes.

Orange wine owes its name to its orange or golden-yellow color due to its production method. Indeed, during its making, orange wine has the particularity of using grape juice that remains in contact with the skins, seeds, and also the stems. This is not the case with white wine. White wine, for its part, is stripped of the physical elements of the grape during maceration. It is during this maceration stage that the skins, seeds, and optionally the stems can dilute into the liquid and thus reinforce its orangey-yellow color. Orange wine is considered macerated white wine. The name "orange wine" is quite recent and dates from 2004. We owe the name "orange wine" to David A. Harvey, an English wine importer who wanted to classify the typology of maceration wine with a clearer name in line with other still wines. Previously, orange wine was described as "macerated white wine." Orange wine takes its name from the typical color of its robe.

Orange wine is one of the classifications of still wines, along with red, white, rosé, and yellow wine. Orange wine should not be confused with other wines whose robe is orange in color, such as oxidized wine or sweet dessert wine. Oxidized wine and sweet wine do not benefit from the same production method.

One should also not confuse "orange wine" with "vin d'orange." Vin d'orange is a liqueur made from wine and oranges. Orange wine can be classified between a white and a red wine. Indeed, while phenols and tannins are not used to produce a quality white wine, they are used for red wine. Hence the dark color of red wine and the light color of white. Since the grapes are white for orange wine, the maceration of the skins, pulp, and stems gives it this singular orange color.

Finally, it is possible to informally determine a wine as an "orange wine" because its robe shows an orange color. Some white wines, particularly sweet wines, may have a color tending toward orange upon opening the bottle or even after uncorking. A white wine with an orange color does not mean the beverage is unfit for consumption. A white wine with an orange color does not necessarily mean the wine is oxidized or corked. The orange color for a white wine can be natural whether it is a white wine or an orange wine. The palette of wine colors is very rich and subtle. Although a white wine may have a color approaching orange, orange wine has a distinct color that usually clearly differentiates it from white wine.

In terms of flavors, orange wine proves to be more aromatic and less acidic than a classic white wine. Orange wine is a structured, textured, and full beverage. Orange wine is also fresher on the palate and more powerful. Orange wine is also more digestible.

Orange wine is a particularly natural product. No colorant is used in the production of orange wine.

The first productions of orange wine are attributed to Georgia. The earliest traces of orange wine date back approximately 8,000 years. The Caucasus is said to be the region where viticulture was born. The first traces of orange wine were found in clay amphorae. Orange wine was once stored in these containers, also called qvevris, which were buried underground, ensuring good preservation of the liquids. Today, clay or terracotta amphorae or jars are still used to keep orange wine. Orange wine production was then exported to Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, and to Slovenia, in the province of Gorizia, before developing worldwide. Today, in Slovenia, in the city of Izola, and in Austria, in Vienna, there is a festival dedicated to orange wine. This festival is called the Orange Wine Festival and is held twice a year in both cities, one after the other. A week in April in Izola and a week in November in Vienna. This celebration is an opportunity for orange wine producers to present their wines.

Today, orange wine is still produced in the Caucasus and in Georgia, the country where it was born.

Orange wine production

During the maceration of the grape juice, skins, seeds, and stems, the color of the beverage tends to darken thanks to the decomposition of the components. Depending on the producers, the stems may be kept or removed during pressing. Likewise, the dissolution of the components in the liquid influences the flavors, structure, and aromas of the orange wine. The grape varieties that can be used to make orange wine are numerous, such as Rkatsiteli and Kisi, which are the varieties used in Georgia, but also Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Muscat.

The Georgian production method for orange wine is inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It consists of letting the skins macerate with the flesh, seeds, and occasionally the stems in contact with the must. Once the grapes are crushed and pressed, the mixture can macerate from a few days to several months or even years. This is called "long skin maceration." Logically, the longer the grape elements and the must macerate, the more tannic the beverage will be and the darker orange its color.

The grape juice obtained by pressing is then fermented. The fermentation stage can be carried out in stainless steel or concrete tanks, in oak barrels, or traditionally in amphorae.

Orange wine does not undergo fining and is not filtered, which is why some bottles of orange wine contain sediment.

Orange wine is then bottled to potentially be aged, most often in 70 cl bottles.

There are vintages of orange wine. Indeed, the quality of orange wine, like red and white wines, improves over time.

Orange wine production can be found in France, Italy, Slovenia, Georgia, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and other wine-growing countries. The term "Orange Wine" comes from the United States.

As for price, a good bottle of orange wine costs between €15 and several dozen euros.

Orange wine consumption

Orange wine is not widely consumed today. However, there is growing interest in this type of wine, considered one of the most natural wines. Orange wine is currently consumed all over the world.

Orange wine is usually a tannic wine, with pronounced aromas, body, and texture. It appeals as much by its taste as by its visual appearance. Orange wine has a dark yellow, orange, brown, or amber robe. Most of the time, orange wine contains residues due to the decomposition of the skins, seeds, and stems. Orange wine is rather cloudy.

Orange wine is an aromatic and very fruity wine. It often reveals notes of dried fruits, mirabelle plum, blackberry, mandarin, hazelnut, linden, apple, raisin, walnut, hazelnut, almond, lemon, lime, or honey. Notes of flowers and aromatic herbs can also be found. Orange wine has a slight bitterness on the palate.

Orange wine is a terroir wine. It appeals to consumers through its ancestral history. Orange wine represents new exploratory paths for sommeliers and bartenders in Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurants. Orange wine offers a vast range of tastes. The characteristics of orange wine can vary depending on the grape variety or varieties used, the terroir, partial or total destemming of the clusters, maceration time, type of aging, voluntary oxidation, and other factors such as the vinification container or the age of the beverage. Orange wine is often considered a trendy or original wine. In reality, it is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world.

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The selection of premium orange wines

How are orange wines selected on Bestwine • Online? Bestwine • Online lists orange wines present on the wine menus and in the cellars of the most famous and recognized gastronomic restaurants around the world. Orange wine references acclaimed by the greatest chefs and sommeliers of gastronomy, themselves valued by critics. Only orange wine references sold online are presented to you to allow you to buy them easily.

How is the reference of the best orange wines updated? The reference of the best orange wines is updated daily by integrating new references from the wine menus of gastronomic restaurants made available to us. Likewise, we update the commercial and promotional offers to allow you to buy a quality orange wine online at the best price. We commit to presenting only orange wine references from the wine menus of award-winning gastronomic restaurants.

Why choose an orange wine reference via Bestwine • Online? The chefs and sommeliers of gastronomic restaurants are the guardians of excellence in haute cuisine by offering the best products, dishes, and drinks in their restaurants. Naturally, the chefs and sommeliers of the greatest gastronomic restaurants offer on their menu the very best in orange wine.