Skin contact wine, also called orange wine, is a type of wine made from white grapes where the grape skins are left in contact with the juice during fermentation.
You can enjoy aromatic skin contact wines on their own or explore their immense potential for food pairings.
In this guide, you'll learn:
- What skin contact wine actually is and how it’s made
- How it tastes
- Whether it is the same as rosé
- The best food pairings to savor
And much more!
So, sit tight, and let’s dive into everything you need to know.
What is skin contact wine (orange wine)?
Skin contact wine, also known as orange wine, skin-fermented white wine, amber wine, and ramato, is a type of white wine vinified like red wine.
Here’s how it’s made:
During maceration, a stage in winemaking, white grape skins remain in contact with the juice for a certain period, ranging from hours to months. This is the same method used to make red wine.
This process allows the skins to extract additional tannins, body, and flavors, giving the wine a deeper color—generally orange or amber. In other words, this contact lends red wine characteristics while preserving the white wine's acidity.
Although skin contact wine is a white wine that has turned orange, not all of these types of wines are orange, and there are no actual oranges in them.
These distinctive wines range from golden straw yellow to vivid amber, depending on how long the juice ferments with the skins.
While it seems to be the new hot thing for many people, the origins of orange wine go way back. It was first made in Georgia, where winemakers fermented white grapes with their skins in clay vessels known as Qvevri for thousands of years.
This technique eventually spread to Italy in the 1990s and has been gaining popularity since then.
Now that we’ve explored what skin contact wine is and how it’s made, let’s examine its taste notes.
How do skin contact wines taste?
The exact taste of orange wines depends highly on the grape variety, but there are some common characteristics you can expect.
First, the aromas are bolder and more intense compared to the same grapes vinified as white wine. Think of it like the intensity difference between rosé and red wine.
Second, they have more texture and body than traditional white wines. The length of maceration plays a significant role in the taste.
These tannic wines can be highly aromatic, with tropical or zesty notes and a touch of bitterness.
What else should you expect?
- Peach
- Apricot and pineapple
- Orange blossom
- Beeswax and honey
The best part is that the layered taste of orange wines has a slight saltiness, making them highly food-friendly. (More on that later.)
Orange wines mostly involve a hands-off approach in the cellar, so you may encounter vintage and terroir character.
Speaking of the hands-off approach…
Are skin contact wines natural?
This is a tricky one. Because "natural wine" is a term that carries its own uncertainties.
Natural winemaking involves minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the cellar. Using organic or biodynamic farming methods, this approach allows grapes to express their true characteristics with minimal use of sulfites, no additives, and no commercial yeast.
So, what gives?
The skin contact style often involves less intervention and tends to fall somewhere on the natural wine spectrum.
Regardless of what you call it, the result is a deeply layered wine with a distinctive color and a rich flavor profile that reflects the unique characteristics of the grapes and the environment in which they were grown.
With that, let’s check out our next chapter, which tackles another common question.
Is rosé the same as skin contact wine?
If skin contact gives color, is orange wine the same thing as its lookalike, rosé?
Well, not really. Let me explain.
As mentioned earlier, white grape skins stay in contact with the juice to produce orange wine.
A similar process is applied to rosé, but it is made with red wine grapes, with less skin contact time than red wine. The pink color of rosé comes from a brief soak with the skins, typically lasting as little as 12 hours.
Rosé wines are produced to give a lighter and fresher taste, with low tannins, making them easily drinkable. This is why winemakers allow only a very brief skin contact during fermentation.
The skin contact time in orange wines is longer than in traditional white wines, ranging from hours to months. This results in a wine with a savory characteristic that offers a unique sensory experience.
Bottom line?
Although rosé and skin contact wines are made using similar methods, they are distinct from each other.
Now, let’s move on to how you can pair these delicious wine bottles.
Best food pairings for orange wines
Orange wines have GREAT potential for various food pairings. How so?
Combining the fruit flavor of white wine with the texture and intensity of red wine, orange wines work well with foods that may not pair as easily with other wines.
For example, they perfectly match fish dishes, white meats, and turkey. Moreover, meaty seafood such as salmon, and spiced and savory dishes like Thai food, pair very well with orange wines.
The complex and aromatic features make them a good pairing with earthy vegetarian food and a variety of cheeses.
But there's more.
Orange wines are also great to pair with:
- Bruschetta
- Roasted nuts
- Pork
- Fried chicken
- Marinated olives
- Lean beef
Nice.
And the good news is that this variety pays off. As people become more eager to try new wine types, orange wines are expanding their popularity beyond just niche restaurants and bars.
Buy Best Skin Contact Wines in Los Angeles
If you’re looking to buy skin contact wine near you, you’ve come to the right place.
Juicefly offers top-shelf orange wine brands that will fill your glass with pure quality.
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Check out our wine selection to see all our wines and shop for your favorite orange wines online.
