Simply put, orange wine is wine made from white grapes using a red-wine style of production.
To understand orange wine, it helps to look at how red and white wines are typically made. The inside flesh and juice of almost all grapes is clear or colorless. When making white wine, white grapes are pressed to release the juice, which is immediately separated from the skins and seeds before fermentation begins.
Red wine is different. Red grapes are crushed, and fermentation begins while the juice remains in contact with the skins and seeds. This contact extracts color, tannins, and additional flavor from the grape skins.
Now mix those two processes together.
Orange wine is made when white grapes are crushed and fermented with their skins and seeds, just like red wine. That extended skin contact gives the wine its distinctive amber or orange hue, along with more texture and tannins than a typical white wine.
The style isn’t new. In fact, it’s ancient. Winemakers in Georgia were producing orange wine more than 5,000 years ago using large clay vessels buried underground called qvevri. These vessels were lined with beeswax and buried to keep temperatures stable, creating ideal conditions for slow fermentation and long skin contact.
Because the juice remains in contact with the skins and seeds, orange wines develop a deeper color, firmer texture, and noticeable tannins, much like red wines.
Those red-wine-like qualities make orange wine surprisingly versatile at the table. It can pair beautifully with foods that are often difficult to match with traditional wines, including bold, spicy dishes from Indian cuisine or fermented flavors found in Korean dishes like kimchi.
Historically, Georgian winemakers often used the Rkatsiteli grape for orange wine, while Italian producers favored Ribolla Gialla. Today, however, winemakers experiment with many white varieties—including Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Even though it’s still unfamiliar to some wine drinkers, orange wine is definitely having a moment, and deservedly so. It’s interesting, distinctive, and well worth trying.
The best way to start? Order a glass. I have seen orange wine by the glass locally at places like Ajja and Foxcroft Wine Co. in Raleigh, or at Wedgewood Cheese Bar in Carrboro.