Wine making process orange wines

Orange wines are very hip today in certain areas and with certain audiences, due to the natural process and image these wines give off. However, the tradition of making this type of wine has been around for centuries and in some regions even for thousands of years!

With the origin of general winemaking in Georgia, Eurasia, orange wines have been produced there. Here they’re usually referred to as amber wines and at the time of origin, they were just the white wines of the country. These wines are generally more full-bodied and astringent than their red counterparts and contain a high number of tannins. They take more time to be drinkable than the red ones do. Traditionally the grapes get fermented in large amphoras, called qvevri, which get buried in the ground, leaving the top sticking out and the vessel open. 

Nowadays and in other parts of the world, the grapes can ferment in open oak barrels or even on stainless steel tanks. The key is to ferment the white grapes following the red wine making process. This means that after the grapes are destemmed and bruised, the grapes ferment before they are pressed. This allows colour and tannin to be extracted from the skins. In some regions the grapes will not be destemmed and whole bunch fermentation will take place.

After the fermentation some orange wines are further aged on oak, before they are bottled. 
Apart from Georgia, other regions known for their orange wine production are Friuli- Venezia Giulia in Northern Italy and parts of Slovenia.