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11 Best Luxury Orange Wines To Replace Your Favourite Rosé
Stock up on the chicest skin contact styles for summer
Tested by Callum BlackFood and Drink Testing Manager
If you've fallen in love with the unusual and refreshing nature of orange wine at your local wine bar, but still tend to fall back on trusted whites, reds and rosés at home, now's the time to switch things up.
To help you stock up for summer, our resident wine expert, Stacey Smith, has provided the definitive low-down on everything you need to know about skin contact wines, along with the best buys for 2023.
Best orange wines 2023
By no means a new phenomenon, orange (or ‘skin-contact’ wine as it’s sometimes referred to), is actually one of the oldest types of wine in the world. However, looking at your Instagram feed you’d be forgiven for thinking millennials have just invented it over the past few years.
That said, despite its new-found popularity, many people are still a little unsure of exactly what to expect from orange wine. So let’s start by clearing a few things up. Orange wine is not made with oranges. Somewhere between a white and red wine, this style gets its name thanks to its hue. The amber colour comes about when the juice from white grapes is left in contact with the skin (a red winemaking technique).
This maceration process can vary in length from anything between a few days through to months, with some skin contact wines actually being closer to pink than orange. You’ll also often hear it referred to as ‘low intervention’ or ‘natural’ due to the lack of added additives and ancient biodynamic principles often adhered to.
Where can I buy orange wine in the UK?
While you’re unlikely to find it in your local corner shop, orange wine is now widely available online. Specialist wine retailers such as Forest Wines and Laithwaites have a decent selection.
What does orange wine taste like?
Just as there’s no catch-all way to describe all white or red wines, the taste of orange wine is hugely varied. As a general guide though, you’ll often find these styles ‘grippier’, with the tannins you’d normally associate with your favourite vin rouge.
Deliciously dry, they can display big, bold, savoury notes and you can often expect a whiff of nutty oxidisation. Watch out though — there’s a fine line between a wine being faulty and simply unfiltered or hazy.
What does orange wine pair with?
We love an afternoon in the sun with orange wine as the star of the show, however it’s also excellent with a variety of cuisines. Spicy food is notoriously tricky to complement (which is why you’ll often enjoy your curry with an ice-cold beer), but the ballsy nature of skin contact styles means they can stand up to these bold flavours with ease.
How we test orange wine
We recruited an expert panel of 10 testers to try 14 bottles of orange wine. Each was looking for the most exciting flavour profiles — with the best examples showing layers of complexity and vibrancy, while being balanced.
Their favourites are below, alongside our ELLE editors’ top picks, which were also deemed worthy of a mention. So whether you’re ready to jump on the bandwagon, or have been happily drinking orange wine for years and want to try something new, these are some of our favourite bottles to stock up on.
Characterised by its vibrant clementine nose, this orange wine — a blend of viognier and chardonnay — has a refreshing and lively quality that we adored.
A hint of honeyed sweetness adds balance, resulting in a beautifully textured finish that is every bit as delicious as its retro label.
Need to know
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Viognier, chardonnay |
| ABV | 12.5% |
As the name suggests, this minimal intervention skin contact is a riot of flavours. The winemaker combined sauvignon blanc and sauvignon gris and turned them on their head by treating them like red grapes.
Funky, fun and bright, it’s a treat with creamy crab dishes and feta-spiked salads.
Need to know
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Sauvignon gris, sauvignon blanc |
| ABV | 12.5% |
With a burst of tropical fruit and notes of fresh cut grass, this is a lovely introduction to skin contact styles, and quite different to other English wines you may have tried.
Our testers thought the tannins gave this wine real substance, enjoying the fresh acidity and long finish.
Need to know
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Bacchus, ortega |
| ABV | 12.5% |
Savatiano is a grape primarily used in Greece’s traditional (and mostly underappreciated) retsina wine — but don’t let that put you off! Here, it’s used to great effect in a skin contact style with lashings of flinty citrus and notes of blossom.
There’s a so-light-you-could-miss-it effervescence, which makes it immensely drinkable and versatile enough to pair with anything from pasta through to grilled fish for a Mediterranean supper of dreams.
Need to know
| Country | Greece |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Savatiano |
| ABV | 12.5% |
If you’re already certain orange wine is for you, push the boat out with this ultra-luxe blend from New Zealand. Biodynamic and low intervention, it’s got bags of complexity including an initial herbaceous hit.
Our panel detected more honeyed elements with further sips, with a satisfying nutty finish. Combining high levels of acidity, punchy tannins and an intense mouthfeel, if a Negroni is your cocktail of choice, we think you’ll love this wine. Try it with charcuterie or enjoy as a stand-alone.
Need to know
| Country | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Muscat, pinot gris, gewürztraminer |
| ABV | 13.5% |
If you like rieslings, or wines with plenty of texture, we think this Austrian amber will appeal.
It has a subtle spritz, with notes of brioche, ripe apricot, and a dry, fresh finish. Some of our panel were even reminded of kombucha or champagne
Need to know
| Country | Austria |
|---|---|
| Grape | Gruner Veltliner |
| ABV | ABV 13.00% |
So pale you could be forgiven for thinking this was a hazy white wine, rather than a full-on orange style, this one is all about the zesty citrus.
There’s still a little grip, but with a fresh, easy-going nature that our panel thought would pair best with prawn linguine or tuna steak. A total no-brainer for those into their natural, low intervention wines.
Need to know
| Country | Romania |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Feteasca alba, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, tamioasa romaneasca |
| ABV | 12.5% |
California is home to some of the finest wines in the world, and this sweet, refreshing muscat effortlessly earned its place in our line-up.
With notes of stone fruit, blossom and honey, our testers were particularly enamoured with the nose of this dessert wine, suggesting it would pair well with sweet, fruity desserts or nutty comte cheese. A must-have for your next dinner party.
Need to know
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Muscat |
| ABV | 15% |
ELLE Editors' Picks
Still on the hunt for some more orange wine options?
Here are three that received the ELLE editor's stamp of approval...
You’ll no doubt have spotted this one all over Instagram — and with great reason. Calcarius has proven as popular as it has because it really is a great introduction to orange wine. Made from Italy’s falanghina grape, this is biodynamic, suitable for vegans and so easy-drinking.
Super fresh, there’s a little grip, but ultimately it’s bursting with juicy peach notes and a touch of floral honey (although it’s still properly dry). Like liquid sunshine, it’s a picnic-packing must-have. Note the price is for a litre bottle (not your standard 75cl), so you’re getting a little more bang for your buck.
Supremely elegant, the Maceration is an experimental orange mixed-vintage blend of vermentino, macabeu, malvoisie du roussillon and sauvignon blanc grapes. It’s had just 10-15 days on skins, so has great texture but refrains from being too wacky.
Golden amber in colour, expect notes of orange peel, apricot and a little nuttiness, all tied up with refreshing minerality. Enjoy alongside mixed boards of charcuterie and cheese.
Georgian at its heart, albeit with a French twist, this is an exciting blend of seven white grapes including chardonnay, viognier and white grenache.
Deliciously fresh, expect an intense nose, with elegant layers of apricot and soft spice on the palate. Team with spicy Vietnamese noodle salad or chorizo.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
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