(2023) 100% Verdejo, this was made in a combination of clay amphora and large French oak vats, with regular pumping over to extract colour and phenolics from the skins. The usually punchy, elderflower aromatics of the Verdejo have been subsumed into much more herby, citrus aromas, a touch of kaolin and then clove-studded orange spice. In the mouth, again none of the tropical fruitiness one might expect from Verdejo, this is dry and savoury, invoking a hessian-like image, nutty and spicy into a super dry finish.
(2023) Leading light of the Languedoc, Jean-Claude Mas, is never predictable. His take on orange wine is in fact a blend of regular rosé and skin-contact orange wines, hence the name ‘Roseoarange’. Quite orthodox peach, lime and subtle orange notes, a touch of spice. Nice ripeness and fruit sweetness on the palate, racy, plenty of zesty lemon for a fresh, appetising finish.
(2023) From a biodynamic estate in the Languedoc where owner/winemaker Bertie Eden plies his trade, this is 100% Muscat made in contact with skins and pips. The Muscat aromatics are all present and correct here, florals and peach, but with an added dimension of something stony and herbal too. Sweet and ripe Muscat fruit on the palate, but the wine is bone dry, a hint of seeds and nuts with that pithy citrus acid that gives this some bite and good freshness.
(2023) Another organic certified orange wine, this made from 80% Inzolia and 20% Zibibbo (the latter is the Sicilian name for Muscat). It's the Zibibbo that dominates the aromatics here, with plenty of floral and orange (fruit) tones, something that reminds me of geranium leaf. In the mouth there's quite a powerful, intense character here, from both a nip of tannin and the spicy fruit concentration. That, plus pithy acids and an almost umami character makes for quite a decisive wine that's full of interest.
(2023) A blend of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Welschriesling, this undergoes spontaneous fermentation and is made with minimal sulphur. Dazzling stuff: likey, juicy and floral, it's aromatically bright and buoyant. Is there a hint of the lightest spritz on the palate? Possibly it's just the sherbetty exuberance of the sliced Asian pear and citrus that flows through a dry, shimmering finish. A delight.
(2023) From leading organic producer in Chile, Emiliana, this is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Casablanca Valley. It was fermented in concrete tanks with punch downs, then aged in concrete eggs for five months with the skins. A very pleasing nose here. Arguably not as 'wild' as some orange wine examples, a clear and juicy orange and peach, just a little purple fig character and nuttiness too. In the mouth it once again walks a line between classic Sauvignon Blanc and something more unusual. Bittersweet Seville orange and fig again, the tannins adding a little grip and the acid tangy adding a lemon pith bite to the finish. Watch the
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(2022) All natural yeasts, organic and no added sulphur with 20% in amphora. Yeasty and herbal aromas, lots of skin-contact character, fruit skins and a touch of wheat beer character. Juicy and sweet-fruited on the palate, still has a talcumy, chalky character that is very pleasing. Nicely balanced.
(2022) Made from Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Gris, the Viognier probably marking the nose most, with a suitably wild and earthy, quite yeasty nose. The palate has plenty of sweet fruit, but also shows that dry hessian and herbal character, the acid is well integrated, lean and lemony, for a tangy finish.
(2021) Fermented in a combination of amphora and stainless steel, this is 98% Pinot Gris plus just one percent each of Muscat and Gewurztraminer. Whole-bunch pressed and wild fermented, it matures for eight months in oak. The colour is quite a deep amber/orange, gently hazy, with aromas of orange and bitters - very negroni-like - with small redcurranty fruit and a subtle smoky grassiness too. Full of interest. In the mouth it is bone dry and equally fascinating. That negroni comparison continues here, the bitter orange and very grown up, Fino-like flavours and character into a long finish that always hints at fruit sweetness beneath the cloak of nutty and dry flavours.
(2021) Only 2,600 bottles of this orange wine from a vineyard planted in 1945 were produced, light orange in colour and explosively different on the nose: masses of smoky, herbal and skinny aromas, seeds and flowers somewhere in there too. A really arresting palate too - bone-dry with searing lemon pith acidity, but bursting with sweet, ripe orangey fruit too, peach and nectarine touches, and once again that salinity in the long finish. Made in concrete eggs. No UK retail listing at time of review.
