Grapes used for orange wine

Grapes worth recognizing

The grape still shows through the skins. Skin contact adds tea, peel, and tannin on top of whatever the variety already tasted like. That is why two amber wines can feel unrelated.

• Rkatsiteli: the Georgian amber benchmark. Apple and quince under walnut and tea when it spends a long time on skins.
• Mtsvane: often blended or bottled beside Rkatsiteli. Floral and a bit lighter.
• Ribolla Gialla: also called Rebula in Slovenia. Herbal, pear skin, gentle grip. A Friuli and western Slovenia staple.
• Pinot Grigio: as ramato, it turns copper with a short maceration and stays fresher than a deep amber wine.
• Friulano, Malvasia, and Pinot Bianco: common in northeastern Italy for savory, not sweet, skin-contact wines.
• Gewürztraminer and other aromatic grapes: skin contact can push the perfume into rose, lychee, and spice. Check that the wine is dry if you expect that.
• Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay: all show up. Read the region and the skin-contact note, not just the grape.

What the grape cannot tell you

The variety does not tell you the hours on skins, the vessel, or whether the wine is cloudy. A Chardonnay with two days of contact and a Chardonnay with three months in clay are different drinks. Use the grape as a familiar handle, then read how long the skins stayed in.

The starter bottles page turns three of these grapes into something you can ask for in a shop.