The Newest (and Oldest) Wine Style You Need to Try

We all know about white, red, and rose wines but there is another style. Orange wine has been hitting the shelves and pages of restaurant wine lists in recent years.  No, it isn’t made from actual oranges but is so named due to the orange/amber hue of the wine. A British wine importer popularized the term “orange wine” in 2004. While the standard industry name is “orange wine”, I prefer the term amber.  My first experience with this style was in Georgia (the country) and they call their wines amber. Georgia is home to the oldest evidence of wine making -going back 8,000 years - and they have significantly influenced the resurgence of this wine style across the globe. So, I think they should have some say in how we refer to this type of wine. I also think “amber” better describes this wine style and people won’t assume it is made of actual oranges! While Georgia has excellent examples, several other countries have an amber wine tradition and even more winemakers are experimenting with this style, including in the United States. 

What exactly gives this wine its distinctive color?  Amber wines are made by fermenting the juice of white grapes with the skins, similar to red wines and rosés. Rosés are made with the juice of red grapes or a mix of white and red. The juice is briefly fermented with the skins, anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The longer the contact with the skins, the deeper the color of the wine.  This is similar to an amber wine. You can have an Italian Pino Grigio Ramato (meaning copper) where skin contact is for a few days to a Georgian Mtsvane where the juice ferments with the skins for six months or more. This is way many white wines were produced before modern production methods. 

Two Georgian Amber wines

The skin contact gives amber wines tannins, which are that the texture and structure you usually notice in red wines.  The level of tannins will depend on the time of skin contact and if the wine is later aged in oak barrels.  Some producers ferment the wine with the skins, stems, and leaves which can add a slightly bitter taste to the wine. In Georgia, wines are traditionally produced in large egg shaped clay vessels known as qvevri buried into the ground. Several wine producers have adopted the Georgian qvevri to make their own amber style wines. There is even a winemaker (Purgatory Cellars) outside of Denver who makes small batch amber wines in Georgian qvevris. In Greece and other areas of Europe you might see similar clay vessels, usually referred to as amphora, used for amber wine production.            

Drinking wine straight out of a qvevri.

Amber wine is often lumped together with natural/organic wines; however, just because a wine is amber does not mean it is natural/organic. Many wines made in the traditional methods (clay qvevri or amphora) use natural yeast and minimal processing but several do not. There is no global standard for organic wines as each country has its own rules, which usually allow the use of some sulfites to preserve the wine. Check the label and research the winery to ensure any wine is actually organic/natural.

 The flavors and aromas of amber wine will vary based on the grape used and amount of skin contact. Some wines can have flavors/aromas of honey, wood, sourdough, jackfruit, and juniper. When pairing food, try for something from the region the wine is grown.  Mediterranean flavors often pair well as do some curries and other Asian food.

Note that some wineries make very small batches of amber wine and are therefore hard to find at your regular wine shop. However, Georgian, Greek, Italian, and Slovenian are easier to find or order online. Some amber wines to try:

Pino Grigio Ramato from Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy

Moschofilero from Greece

Mtsvane from Georgia

Kisi from Georgia

Newly produced qvevri on their sides.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, there is a Riesling Right for You

Valentine’s Day just past and it got me thinking about one of my favorite wines, Riesling.  This versatile wine is a favorite of novices and experts alike for its ability to pair with several types of cuisine and its range of styles, from dry to sweet.  This crisp aromatic wine originally from Germany is also one of most collectible vintages among wine connoisseurs.  Interestingly, aged Rieslings can have aromas of gasoline, kerosene, or burnt rubber.  While that seems very off putting, the scent of petrol indicates a higher quality wine.  But don’t worry the, the aroma is subtle and you won’t taste any hints of petrol.  The flavor of Riesling wine ranges from fruits like nectarine, apricot, apple, pear, to jasmine, and honeycomb.

 Riesling is the most famous German grape and likely the oldest.  In 1435 there is a record of Riesling vines sold to a German count.  In 1787 the Archbishop of Trier decreed all bad vines be replaced with Riesling and in the 1850’s the wine commanded higher prices than French Bordeaux and Champagne!  Wines from the slopes of the Mosel region are regarded as the best.  However, the rising cost of labor has led some vineyards to reduce staff and production.  Meaning it can be more difficult to find quality Mosel Rieslings at your favorite wine shop.

 While most Riesling comes from Germany, you can find varietals from Alsace France, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.  California, Washington and the Finger Lakes region of New York produce excellent Riesling wines.  American wines tend to be sweeter but since Riesling is a very aromatic wine, the strong aromas can give the impression of sweetness even if the wine is actually dry.  Grown in cooler climates, Rieslings are lower in alcohol and can even be six percent., while even to fourteen percent is the average global alcohol content of wine.

 So how do you choose which is best for you?  If you are pairing with spicy food, try a sweeter wine, but remember the strong aromas will make it seem the wine is sweeter than it is.  When purchasing a German Riesling you will notice the sweetness levels rated from Trocken (dry) to Süss (sweet).  You might also see labels such as Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese.  These describe when the grapes were harvested.  Kabinett is made from normal ripe grapes and each subsequent designation is for a later harvested and therefore sweeter grape.  Eiswien (Icewine) is also usually made from Riesling grapes and is harvested after the first freeze.  These wines are sweet and due to the difficulty and smaller production, come in a half bottle. 

 So next time you have Thai or Indian try paring it with a Riesling.  Or when you just need a nice crisp wine, open a bottle.  Its good all year round!  Cheers or Prost as they say in Germany!

Celebrating Sparkling Wine

2020 is now behind us, and I like many welcomed the new year with a glass of sparkling wine.  I say sparkling wine, as champagne can only be used to describe a wine from certain regions of France according. This shouldn’t deter you from drinking champagne, as there are more budget-friendly options.  There are also a host of sparkling wines that are just as good or better than champagne, such as cava, prosecco, and locally produced bubbly.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between them? Also, why is it that champagne and sparkling wine have become synonymous with celebrations and luxury? 

Let’s start with how bubbles get into the wine.  Sparkling wines unlike regular wines are fermented twice and during the second fermentation extra carbon dioxide results in bubbles.  Due to the cooler weather in Champagne, wine formation stopped as temperatures dropped and a second fermentation would naturally take place in the spring.  Originally the resulting bubbles were seen as a flaw and a danger as bottles were known to explode due to the pressure.  Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk, and namesake for one of the best-known champagne houses helped resolve the exploding bottle problem by using thicker glass bottles and a rope snare to keep corks in place. The bottles likely came from England as the English upper class were the first to embrace the bubbly wine in the 17th century and their coal-fired factories produced stronger products than French wood-fired furnaces.  

Champagne became the drink of choice by the French aristocracy in the early 18th century thanks to the Duke of Orléans.  Many of the most popular French Champagne houses were created during the rule of Louis XV.  Napoleon's march on Moscow secured its popularity among the upper classes.  The brand Cristal was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II.  Champagne cemented its status as a luxury drink a few years later as it was weaved into the works of artists and writers. Think of all the French cafe paintings with champagne or stories of the rich drinking it like water.

The French widow (veuve) Clicquot in the 19th century further revolutionized the champagne industry by devising a way to expel the dead yeast from the bottles, increasing production efficiency. The method for creating champagne, known as the traditional method, requires aging of the wine in the bottle for at least 15 months.  Known as aging on the lees (i.e dead yeast), this gives champagne and traditional method sparkling wines such as cava a bread aroma.  The bottles are slowly rotated until the lees concentrate at the neck of the bottle, which is frozen and the dead yeast expelled. Producers add sugar after the second fermentation to create sweetness ranging from very dry (brut) to incredibly sweet (doux).   The sweetest wines have the almost the same sugar levels as syrup. 

Spanish cava is made in the traditional method, but prosecco and other sparkling wines are usually made in a steel tank.  Both fermentations happen in the tank and then the dead yeast is filtered out. Additional sugar can then be added before bottling. The whole process takes a matter of days versus months. The lower cost of production means cheaper prices in the store. This may be why prosecco is the most popular sparkling wine.  So next time you are looking for sparkling wine, check out cava, prosecco, and locally produced varieties.  Trader Joe’s has a great German sparkling wine and their own label California wine made in the traditional method.

So pour a glass and let’s toast for a better year!

‘Tis the Season for Mulled Wine

One of my favorite things about the holidays are Christmas Markets.  Traditional to Europe, you can find similar style markets in several U.S. cities and around the globe.  Among the stalls of traditional Christmas ornaments and souvenirs, you will find several booths hawking mugs of warm, spiced wine.  Known as glühwein, glögg, mulled wine, or some variation of cooked/hot/boiled wine depending on your location, drinking and collecting the unique market mugs has become a Christmas tradition.

The drink was originally invented by the Romans in the second century as a way to fend off the cold weather. As the Roman Empire spread across the continent, so did their love for heated wine.  In the middle ages, spices were added to provide medicinal benefits.  Herbs and flowers were added as sweeteners to make lower quality wines more palatable.  The popularity of the drink declined in most parts of Europe, except in Sweden where the monarchy continued to promote several variations of it.  The first published recipe was recorded in 1609 and in 1890, wine merchants shared recipes for their own spiced wine, creating a Christmas tradition.

Today mulled wine is a ubiquitous part of the Christmas markets around the globe.  It also serves a purpose, which is to keep you warm while outside in freezing temperatures exploring the market or hanging out with friends.  I find that mulled wine with a shot of brandy is especially helpful when at a Christmas market on a cold night!

Even if COVID prevents you from visiting a local Christmas market this year, you can still have the experience by making your own mulled wine.  Some grocery stores carry pre-made mulled wine that you just heat up on the stove but here is an easy recipe to make yourself. 

Wine: Use a dry red wine with high alcohol (the heat will evaporate some of the alcohol).  While you don’t want to use an expensive bottle, it should not be a cooking wine.  Try an affordable bottle of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, or even a Georgian Saperavi!

Spices:  It’s always best to use fresh whole spices but dried can also work. Just watch the amount, spices are potent and you don’t want to over spice the wine.

Extras: Try your wine with a shot of brandy or port wine!

Die Feuerzangenbowle: If you want to give your mulled wine a little kick, you can try this German tradition. Soak a sugar load in rum and put in on a wire mesh over the wine while it’s still in the pot, then light the sugar on fire and watch it melt into the wine.

 Mulled Wine Recipe

A Christmas Market in Munich Germany