The Complete Guide to Orange Wine Production

Overview

In our previous article "Is Orange Wine Natural Wine?", we explored the definition, origins, and relationship between orange wine and natural wine. This article provides a detailed examination of orange wine from a winemaking perspective.

This article covers:

• Basic considerations in winemaking
• Scientific basis and extraction methods for characteristic color
• Selection criteria for suitable grape varieties

The Defining Element of Orange Wine: "Color"

As stated in our previous article, orange wine has no official definition. However, it can be extremely summarized as follows:

Wine made from white wine grape varieties that possesses intense color

Therefore, the most important point in orange wine production is how to impart this color to the wine.

Note: Some opinions exist that emphasize texture and structure over color in characterizing orange wine. This is fundamentally correct. However, such characterization makes it difficult to distinguish from white wine, so this article treats orange wine with emphasis on color.

The Paradoxical Current State of Orange Wine

The wines currently popular as "orange wine" were not originally made with the intention of achieving that color. They emerged as a result of a return to traditional winemaking methods based on back-to-basics philosophy, resulting in wines with high extract content and intense color.

Originally, the return to traditional winemaking methods was important, and the wine's color could have been any color. However, as a marketing strategy emphasizing visual impact for consumers, the focus solely on color has created the paradoxical situation of "how to make wine orange."

Important Consideration: Winemakers must constantly be aware of the following:

• Do they simply want to make orange-colored wine?
• Did the wine happen to turn orange as a result of adopting appropriate winemaking methods?

In the latter case, winemakers need the resolve to make selective choices about winemaking methods and actively accept color changes as a result.

Two Methods to Make Wine "Orange"

There are two methods to add color to wine made from white wine grape varieties:

1. Browning due to oxidative enzyme effects

2. Coloring by phenolic compounds

Is Wine Colored by Oxidation Also Orange Wine?

Browning due to oxidative enzymes refers to coloring through aging or oxidation. A specific example is the faded color of aged old wines.

This is also essentially orange wine. While it may not appear to be based on extraction superficially, it is actually coloring affected by phenolic compounds, so it can be called orange wine without issue.

However, for the following reasons, it is not commercially sold as "orange wine":

• Strong oxidative nuances appear in both aroma and taste
• Quality state is precarious, bordering on deterioration

The Identity of Orange Wine Color: Phenolic Compounds

As explained in the previous article "Why is Red Wine Red?", the identity of wine color is phenolic compounds. The same applies to orange wine.

Unlike red wine, white wine grape varieties do not contain anthocyanins, so the following three phenolic compounds have an effect:

1. Phenolic acid
2. Flavonol
3. Tannin

In orange wine production, efficiently extracting and stabilizing these phenolic compounds is crucial.

Orange Wine Production Process

Standard production process:

1. Grape harvest
2. Fruit crushing (destemming optional)
3. Maceration (skin contact/sur lie): several days
4. Fermentation (yeast addition optional)
5. Pressing
6. Storage and aging in tanks or barrels

Important Note: Some articles describe maceration periods as several months to one year, but this is a misleading expression. When fruit is crushed and stored at room temperature, natural fermentation typically begins within a few days to one week. "Several months to one year" refers to the "period from crushing to pressing" including the fermentation period.

Maceration (skin contact) is an essential process in orange wine production.

Main Players in Extraction: Flavonol and Tannin

The reason skin contact is essential is to extract the phenolic compounds that are the identity of the color.

Characteristics of the three phenolic compounds:

• Phenolic acid: Colorless by itself. Turns yellow through oxidation but has low priority due to deterioration risks
• Flavonol: Turns yellow through both oxidation and polymerization
• Tannin: Condensed tannins have yellow color due to polymerized structure

The yellow color of orange wine is mainly based on flavonol and tannin.

Optimizing Extraction Time

Problems with Short Maceration

• Insufficient extraction results in pale color
• Several hours to one day remains within white wine category

Problems with Long Maceration

1. Increased oxidation effects: Enhanced brown color, oxidative nuances in aroma and taste
2. Extraction limits: Phenolic content in grapes has limits
3. Unwanted component dissolution: Pectin dissolution causes:
   • Filter clogging
   • Mouthfeel effects
   • Sediment formation

Conclusion: To balance extraction quantity and wine condition, constant observation of wine state is necessary, with timing determined for each wine individually.

Important Considerations for Color Extraction

Characteristics of orange wine production:

1. Closed-type containers like stainless steel tanks are difficult to use
2. Need for low-temperature management during fermentation is extremely low
3. Poor compatibility with sulfite (SO₂) addition

Why Closed-Type Containers Are Unsuitable

Reason 1: Need for Oxidation

For white wine coloring, oxygen effects are important for both phenolic acid and flavonol. Intentionally inducing mild oxidation can achieve more intense color. Reductive environments from closed containers have the disadvantage of making color pale.

Reason 2: Need for Punch-Down

Phenolic acid and flavonol are abundant in grape skins, so extraction requires contact between skins and juice.

Problems during fermentation:

• Carbon dioxide pushes skins to liquid surface
• Cap (hard layer) formation occurs
• Results in:
  • Reduced contact area between skins and juice
  • Decreased extraction efficiency
  • Change to reductive environment

Solution: Regular punch-down (cap pushing) work. Therefore, open-type containers with open tops are suitable.

Unnecessary Temperature Management

General white wine production uses low-temperature management to create fresh, fruity wines. However, this is counterproductive for extraction.

• Higher temperatures provide better extraction efficiency
• Cold maceration is possible but room temperature management is common from the perspective of promoting mild oxidation
• High energy cost of low-temperature management has low necessity

Compatibility Issues with Sulfite (SO₂) Addition

The main problem is SO₂'s action as a reducing agent. Orange wine production should actively accept mild oxidation, but adding SO₂ as a reducing agent adversely affects color stability.

Problems with Common Explanations: Explanations that "SO₂ addition is unnecessary" due to antioxidant effects of tannins and other polyphenols are insufficient. The reality is "cannot add due to avoiding color instability."

Summary of Winemaking Methods

Important points in orange wine production:

1. Use of open-type containers
2. Regular punch-down for cap re-submersion and increased oxygen contact
3. Room temperature management for extraction promotion
4. Avoiding SO₂ addition that destabilizes color

Why Orange Wine is Dry

Orange wine is basically finished dry. More precisely, orange wine that emphasizes color requires residual sugar content after fermentation to be as close to 0 as possible for quality control reasons.

Reason: Compatibility Issues with SO₂ Addition

One of the main purposes of SO₂ addition is suppressing microbial activity. Suppressing microbial occurrence and activity is extremely important for maintaining wine quality, but residual sugar is an excellent energy source for microorganisms.

Problem structure:

• High residual sugar wine → Increased microbial contamination and re-fermentation risks
• SO₂ is the most effective countermeasure for risk suppression
• In orange wine, SO₂ addition destabilizes color
• As a secondary measure, reduce residual sugar to eliminate microbial energy sources

This logic is exactly the same as natural wine that avoids SO₂ addition. Both orange wine and natural wine are not made dry intentionally, but finished dry as a result of being unable to make them sweet.

Grape Varieties Suitable for Orange Wine

The most important character in orange wine is color. Therefore, suitable varieties are those that easily produce color, namely varieties with more phenolic compounds in their skins.

Approach to Variety Selection

There are opinions recommending aromatic varieties. This is because maceration can extract more aromatic components, giving the wine complex texture and structure.

However, orange wine without color is not orange wine, even if it has complex texture and structure. As long as one adheres to the "orange wine" product segment, abundance of phenolic compounds takes priority.

Major Varieties Used

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Silvaner
• Ribolla Gialla / Rebula
• Traminer
• Muscat, Muskateller
• Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
• Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris
• Pinot Gris / Grauburgunder
• Vitovska
• Mtsvane, Rkaziteli, Zolikouri

Conclusion: How Much Oxidation Should Be Tolerated in Orange Wine?

While skin contact (maceration) is considered important in orange wine production, how to control oxygen effects is actually most important.

Questions About Barrique Use

From the perspective of oxidation and tannin extraction, using wooden barrels (especially barriques) for post-press wine storage seems suitable. Barriques enable:

• Tannin extraction
• Micro-oxidation promotion

However, the suitability of this method is questionable:

Reason: The role required of tannins differs between orange wine and red wine, so barrique use may be excessive.

Conclusion: Final judgment must be made based on wine condition during actual production processes. It is important to comprehensively consider whether using oxidation-promoting storage containers for orange wine aging is appropriate by examining all factors.