You may have started to notice that the terms “skin contact” or “orange” are appearing on wine menus at restaurants and bars everywhere. If you're unsure what to make of this style of wine, I can assure you that you’re not alone. This seemingly new style has only recently gained popularity and before a few years ago, you only came across these wines in the hippest wine bars in the biggest cities. Now, you can find orange wine available at Trader Joe’s and all your local spots are hopping on the skin contact train. So, what makes these bottles different? Let’s get into it.

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Believe it or not, “skin contact” is an essential part of the winemaking process for all red wines and is referred to as “maceration” which is when the skins of the grapes make contact with the grape juice. Maceration is also used to give rosé its varied pink hue. After grapes are picked, they are crushed to release the juices and, with white wines, the juice is removed from the skins immediately to ensure no color or flavor is imparted by the skins. For red wine, the skins stay and play in the juice after the grapes are crushed. This step gives the wine its color and imparts flavors and tannins (the element in red wine that gives you that mouth-drying feel). 

 

With rosé, the red grape skins sit on the clear juice for a very short period, hence the pink color that’s achieved rather than the deep red or purple that would come from a long maceration. Wines that you will see under the “skin contact” section of a wine menu are more of an orange hue. That is because these wines come from white grapes rather than red. The way that I explain skin contact or orange wine to those who are new to the term is that these wines are essentially rosé made with white grapes because it follows the same process. This may be oversimplifying to a certain extent, but I've found it's a useful way to grasp how this wine is made. These wines get their distinct color and flavor from letting the white grape juice sit with the skins for a period of time. The amount of time determines just how much color and flavor the skins impart on the wine.

 

Although this may appear to be a new style of wine, it has ancient roots in the part of the world where wine originated. In the country of Georgia, this style is called amber wine and has been made and enjoyed there for millennia. Georgia also claims to be the birthplace of wine with evidence of wine making taking place in the region as far back as eight-thousand years ago. Amber wine was actually quite popular as a style for wine drinkers everywhere back in the day until the more “refreshing” white wine stole the spotlight. So, orange/skin contact/amber wine is nothing new to the wine world, but we are seeing winemakers produce an incredible variety with all kinds of grapes grown all over the world making bottles that can range from intense and funky to light and fresh. 

 

I distinctly remember my first skin contact wine experience. I noticed this unfamiliar type of wine on a menu at an Asheville bar in the River Arts District and was immediately intrigued. I asked the bartender for her take on the wine and after she gave me some background, I excitedly ordered it. It was unlike any other I’d had before. It had the light and refreshing quality of a white wine, but there was a complexity to it that had me going back sip after sip trying to decipher what I was tasting. That delightful glass was my first of many and I’ve only grown to love this unique style of wine more and more. 

 

If you haven’t before, I highly recommend giving skin contact wine a try. If you have and you weren’t sure about it, I hope that you try it again because the breadth of this style of wine is astounding. Talk to your server, your sommelier or your local wine shop employee and get the low down on the orange wine that you should start with or try next.