You may or may not have heard of a style of wine that has rapidly gained popularity in recent years – referred to as orange, or skin contact wine.

Essentially, it's a style of white wine made in the same way as red – leaving the juice to macerate on the skins so you end up with a wine with amber-like colour and tannin.

While an amateur wine lover may believe this to be a "new" way of making wine – it's one of the most ancient styles, dating back thousands of years. 

Orange wine also has many connections to the "natural wine" or "minimal intervention" trend as many of these wineries are known for making orange wines too.

However, these styles are not always synonymous – orange wine can be conventional and not all natural wine is orange.

What does orange wine taste like? Well, it varies from region to region but in general, you can anticipate notes of nectarine, orange zest, red licorice, savoury spice and even citronella candle.

It lends a lot of texture too, due to the skin contact, making it a great option for a variety of food pairings.

Try it with a style of cheese known as comté that pairs particularly well with oxidative, nutty types of wines. 

Now that your palate is tantalised, here are some Okanagan wineries making really delicious examples of orange wine that you should definitely give a try:

Anthony Buchanan 2017 RMG Orange

Scout 2018 Skin Contact Riesling

Little Farm 2017 Skin Contact Riesling

Keenan 2018 Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc

Rigour and Whimsy 2018 Skin Contact Pinot Blanc

Are you going to try out an Orange wine this weekend?