The wine industry is buzzing about a genre of wine that defies most conventional categories. From NYC to San Francisco, avant-garde restaurateurs, wine critics and wineshops are embracing a concept that is at once revolutionary and uber-traditional. The result is what has been dubbed “orange wine”, not quite red, nor white, nor rose.  These wines are a particular breed of deeply colored, intensely flavored wines, created only by the most artisanal producers looking to capture the essence of ancient winemaking techniques; extended skin contact.

We at the Bottega have been following the orange wine movement closely and decided that it’s time to really bring Boston into the game.

Wines Tasted:

2008 Az. Agr. Camillo Donati Malvasia dell’Emilia, Arola, Emilia Romagna, Italy

Representing the third generation, Camillo Donati continues his family’s 80-year tradition of small, natural winemaking, employing organic and biodynamic principles.  The Donati philosophy in the vineyard is to prune severely, leaving only the best bunches hanging at harvest time.  In the winery, Donati wants to encourage the natural ebb and flow of each vintage, thus he ferments with natural yeasts, without temperature or other controls, he never acidifies or de-acidifies, and he never fines his wine before bottling.  Without adding any artificial presevatives, if he were to push the malvasia juice off the skins before fermenting, the wine would have a much shorter shelf life.  Allowing skin contact pulls out the antioxidant preservatives naturally present in grape skin, thus producing a wine with considerable aging potential.  Malvasia di Candia, one of the world’s oldest known grapes, is thought to have been brought to Italy in the Middle Ages from Crete, which was then known as Candia, via the Greek port town of Monemvasia (note the corruption in translation).  Donati makes two versions, one in the traditional sweeter style, and this one, which is fermented to nearly absolute dryness.

2005 Az. Agr. La Biancara “Sassaia”, Gambellara, Italy

Angiolino Maule is inseparable from the biodynamic wine movement in Italy. He is truly passionate about creating natural wines that carry on age old traditions and showcase the varied terroir of the land. From his estate in Gambellara, in the Vicenza province, Angiolino shows that there is nothing simple about the garganega and trebiano grapes, that are often used in Soave production. When these grapes are in the hands of a master, the sky is the limit! He has not used fertilizers in over 15 years and all natural methods are utilized to combat pests. Angiolino shuns adding yeast or additional sulfur, the wine gets to do its own thing, with no intervention. The long maceration on the skins gives the wine a “tannacity” uncommon in whites. In addition this wine is from the 2005 vintage, we think it demonstrates how this style of wine, can age beautifully. You’ll definitely never look at a Soave the same way after this!

2008 Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris, Reuilly, Loire Valley, France

Reuilly is a small, but growing, appellation in the southern reaches of the Loire Valley, west of Sancerre.  As in many of the surrouding villages, the vineyards are largely planted to sauvignon blanc.  Domaine de Reuilly owns a few hectares of pinot noir, and a single hectare of a mutation of pinot noir, namely pinot gris.  The skins of pinot gris grapes are in the gray area (pun intended) between what we think of as red or white/green in color.  The vast majority of wine produced as pinot gris or pinot grigio ranges in color from practically clear to pale yellow, reflecting the fact that the juice is pushed off the skins prior to fermentation.  The wine we are tasting today, though it is called a rose, might be more appropriately called an orange wine, since it is made from grapes that usually produce a white wine.  To quote Jon Bonne of the San Francisco Chronicle, “…consider orange wine a sort of inverse of pink wine”.  Fermenting the juice on the skins for a period of time gives the wine its salmon pink color and a host of flavors not to be found in white pinot gris.

2008 La Casaccia, Poggeto, Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese, Piedmont, Italy

Ok, so this wine has definitely caused the most controversy being in the “orange wine” lineup this evening. Grignolino is an indigenous varietal that is found mostly around the town on Monferrato in the eastern section of Piedmont. It is a very light skinned varietal, even more so than pinot noir for example, and has traditionally been used to produce light bodied wines with fruity, earthy aromas and low alcohol perfect for antipasto and lunch. This is a very traditional version of grignolino made by the generations old Casaccia estate now run by a husband and wife team. That said, given this wine’s ultra light color and texture more similar to a full bodied white (possibly orange) wine, is this truly an “orange wine”? That question has raised many heated discussions here in the Bottega over the last few weeks. Since grignolino is so light, and the maceration/fermentation goes on in contact with the skins and the resulting wine is kind of orange in color I think it is fair to at least let it be in the same lineup. After all in 1968 the great Luigi Veronelli defined grignolino as an “anarchist and individualistic” wine…the prefect wine to stir up tonight’s discussions!

2007 Movia, Lunar, Dobrovo, Slovenija

Ales Kristancic is a poet. In a recent encounter with this icon, or iconoclast as it may be, winemaker I finally came to realize just what this man’s wines are all about. They really are about raw, natural forces of nature being harnessed by human hands in an alchemy that has changed our lives forever. Ales tells the story of how the Movia estate (established in 1700 and purchased by the Kristancic’s in 1820) has strived to find the perfect harmony between chaos and order in his family’s wines. Talking to Ales he emphasized that it is a crucial time in history for winemaking and that sharing experiences and knowledge through wine is essential. “Real wine must be made with passion and nothing else” says Ales. This is an age old wine, creeping from the dark hardwood forests of Slovenija into tiny custom designed oak barrels. The native “rebula” or ribolla gialla berries are picked at just the right moment, literally when the stars align, staying true the biodynamic rhythms of nature. The berries are then placed completely intact into the barrels where a delicate “flor” will form. The skins and juice ferment through the long winter and when spring finally breaks, a wine that is truly other worldly emerges-Lunar!

2007 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Rusticum I.G.T., Lazio, Italy

The Bea family has extended beyond their Umbrian domain into  Lazio, in the area of Vitorchiano about 60 kilometers north of Rome.   This incredible wine is produced from vineyards organically farmed by the sisters of the Cistercian order, it’s not just the monks in on the wine action! The sisters have been making wine here for centuries, but now under the guidance of Giampero Bea, Paolo’s son, they are starting to create something truly special.  The Bea white philosophy is to treat the whites more like reds with extended skin contact, which develops incredible complexity. This wine is composed of 55% trebbiano, 20% malvasia, 15% verdicchio, 10% grechetto, The Rusticum is soundly in the “orange” wine camp, spending a full 15 days fermenting on its skins. If you are a fan, be sure to check out the “basic” Coenobium, which sees a shorter skin maceration. Don’t worry though, it’s still bedazzling and unmistakably Bea-touched.