Rosé and orange wines have become quite the it-girls in recent years. Rosé has been a mainstay of Spring and Summer in the United States for years, and it’s here to stay. But what about its cousin, the lesser-known style of wine known affectionately (or not depending on who is saying it) as orange wine? In this article we’ll delve deep into rose vs orange wine, and hopefully help dispel any myths about it.

Listen to the Podcast Below

Is Orange wine made of oranges? 

No, orange wine is not made of oranges–this is one of the most commonly asked questions and understandable points of confusion. However, to contradict myself and add to the confusion, some have actually tried a hand at making orange wine with oranges. 

But truly, orange wine is a style of wine in which you allow white wine grape varietes to have contact with the skins and potentially seeds for a period of time. This can be anywhere from a few hours, to a few days, weeks, or even years in some cases. Without this added time on the skins, you just have a standard white wine. 

The skin and seeds of grapes contain the flavors, color, and tannins that give orange wine its distinctive orange hue, sequentially its name, and intriguing flavor profile. While these components are typically undesirable in classic white wines, they're exactly what you need for making orange wine.

You may also hear orange wine referred to as amber wine, or their official but not as catchy title, skin-contact white wine. 

What Is Orange Wine and What Is Rosé?

Orange wine (also known as amber, or skin contact white wine) is a style of wine in which you allow white wine grapes to have contact with the skins and potentially seeds for a period of time. This can be days, weeks, or even months in some cases! Without this added time on the skins, you just have a standard white wine. The skin and seeds of the grapes are what gives it the orange hue, and provides a very interesting flavor profile as well!

On the other hand, rosé is a style of wine in which red grapes (that could make red wine, like Pinot Noir) have a light extraction from the skins. This is an important note when learning about orange wine vs rosé. Turns out drinking wine can be like a rainbow with colored wines of all hues!

Orange wines are often associated with the natural wine movement, which focuses on farming, eschews additives like sulfites, and are often experimental. However, orange wine is one of the oldest forms of winemaking, dating back to the ancient Georgian traditional winemaking method of qvevri, an egg-shaped vessel used in the winemaking process. 

What Does Orange Wine Taste Like

Orange wine broadly tastes a bit like a tannic white wine, which makes sense given that much of the tannin in a wine comes from grape skins and seeds. It will often have a citrusy, herbal nose and a zippy high-acid finish. Some orange wines almost have a crushed aspirin-like quality (called phenolic bitterness) to them that we find to be pretty polarizing.

Both orange wine and rosé can be acidic and refreshing, but rosé has more red fruit like strawberry, raspberry, etc. compared to orange wine, which makes sense now that we know what kinds of grapes each wine is coming from. We also did a longer post on pairing orange wine that you can find here.

Are Orange and Rosé’s a new style of wine? 

A rise in popularity often comes with an increase in critique (it’s lonely at the top), but the truth is that orange and rosé wines have been cherished for thousands of years—long before the rise of the internet, influencers, or the coined term of trending.

Orange wine became widely recognized within the United States a few years into 2020 and is often associated with the natural wine movement which focuses on sustainable farming and avoiding the use of additives like sulfites. However, orange winemaking has existed for more than 6,000 years, originating in the country of Georgia where winemakers would ferment white grapes with their skins in clay vessels called qvevri. Both Georgia and Slovenia and renowned for their traditional orange wine practices, where it has long been a symbol of heritage. 

Similarly, rosé’s popularity within the USA spiked in the early 2000s where it was met with adoration and even merchandise. But production and consumption of rosé dates as far back as the time of the Phoenicians and Ancient Greece.

Although orange and rosé wines are occasionally misunderstood due to their frequent endorsements, they are deeply rooted, time-honored styles that deserve appreciation beyond the title of a temporary trend.

Orange Wine, Rosé, and Seasonality

We love busting out the rosé around this time of year and through the summer - check out all the options here. However, we tend to drink light rosé wines less outside the summer months. We find orange wine to be a little more flexible. We’ve been drinking it all winter, and will keep it going through this summer. What does change a bit is the style of orange wine - the slightly heavier, longer maceration wines may be better in fall/winter whereas a lightly macerated orange is perfect for brunch on the patio. That said, you can’t really go wrong swapping lighter orange wines and rosé fairly interchangeably.

However, orange and rosé wines can truly be enjoyed at all times of the year, you may just reach for different kinds depending on the season. We tend to drink lighter rosé’s in the Summer months, and fuller-bodied, darker, more extracted rosés when the weather starts getting colder. Similarly, a slightly heavier, longer macerated orange wine may be better suited for Fall and Winter, whereas a lightly macerated orange is perfect for a sunny Summer brunch on the patio. That said, you can’t go wrong swapping lighter orange wines including aromatic whites in particular - Muscat, Riesling, etc - and rosé fairly interchangeably.

All wines, even within the same style category, can vary based on things like the grapes used, how long the wine spends on the skins, and their production processes. A good rule of thumb is: go for lightly macerated wines when it's warm (wines that have spent less time on the skins and seeds), and opt for longer macerated wines when the weather turns cooler (wines that have spent more time in contact with the skins)

Rose & Orange Wine Pairings 

Rosé wines can pair wonderfully with an array of foods. They can be light and bright enough for light seafood and veggie dishes, or heavy enough to stand up to pork or beef depending on the wine and meat preparation. You’re generally safe to bet on seafood, charcuterie boards, thai green curry, salty cheeses or fruity desserts when pairing this wine.

The versatility of orange wines allows it to enhance a wide range of dishes, from light and fresh to rich and spicy. For lighter orange wines, reach for vegetarian-based dishes, seafood, cheese, or cured meats. For fuller orange wines, you’re best off with spicy dishes such as Indian curries, hearty meats like duck and lamb, root vegetables, and wild rice.

For pairing, they can range from being light and bright enough for a fish and veggie mix, or heavy enough to stand up to pork or even some kind of beef depending on the wine and meat preparation! 

What about the Gris Grapes?

Beyond red and white grapes are “grey” grapes such as Pinot Gris and Grenache Gris that add an interesting layer of complexity to this conversation. These grapes are commonly used for orange winemaking, but because they are darker than a white grape, the color they take on with skin contact resembles that of a rosé wine more than it does an orange. Some winemakers even label these wines as rosé, though they are technically within the orange wine family. This is why they get a special name called Ramato that is specifically used for "gris" grapes with skin contact.

If you go to a restaurant, you will probably find these wines under the rosé section because of their color, even though it is technically an orange, and we do the same here at MYSA. In this case, classification based on color instead of style is common, so that you receive the wine you are expecting. 

It’s a tricky distinction to make - should wines be based on the way that they’re made? Or should you evaluate the color and judge it on that platform? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think - there are no wrong answers.

Where to Find Orange Wine

While it's fairly easy to find rosé wine in any store today, orange wine can be trickier to locate. Originating in Georgia, we also see a lot of orange wine coming from Italy, made with grapes like Trebbiano, Malvasia, Pinot Grigio, and others and are now seeing production of it across the world which is very exciting! they can be found in the natural wine club each month. Also check out your local natural wine shop, or natural wine bar.

Holly Berrigan is the Founder of MYSA Natural Wine. She has a WSET Level 3 certification with Distinction, is a member and writer for the Porto Protocol and Slow Food USA, and is a student in Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge.