Orange Wine: The Skin Contact Session

Orange wine isn’t a trend. It’s a rediscovery — one that stretches back 8,000 years to the clay-buried qvevri of Georgia and the cellar experiments of renegade Italian winemakers in Friuli. The technique is simple: leave white grape juice in contact with its skins during fermentation, just like you would a red. The result is anything but simple. We’ll taste six skin-contact wines side by side, moving from light golden contact through to deep, structured amber. You’ll discover how maceration time, grape variety, and vessel shape transform a wine’s color, texture, and flavor — and why orange wine pairs better with a charcuterie board or a bowl of spiced rice than almost any conventional white you’ve ever poured. Our wine educator guides every session as a guided tasting and open conversation. No prior knowledge needed. First-timers sit next to collectors. Everyone leaves with tasting cards, producer profiles, and a reference guide to skin-contact wine — and a working theory about which glass to reach for at their next dinner party.