In the past couple of years, orange wines have really hit the mainstream. What previously were really niche wines, desirable to the few, have become a must-try. Many people call orange wines the world’s ‘newest old wine’, and it’s fair to say that they have been being made for 8,000 years – in Georgia.
Amber qvevri wines are the original natural, orange wines – so why don’t they get the credit they deserve? As far as Georgians are concerned, the rest of the world is just catching up with their tastes!
‘Orange’ or, as we prefer to call them, ‘amber’ wines, are made using very low-intervention methods – another reason why they’re darlings of the natural wine movement. White grapes are crushed and the juice is left in contact with the skins in much the same way as reds and rosés. In Georgia, the juice and skins are placed in a qvevri and left to ferment. The longer the juice is left on the skins, the deeper and richer the colour of the wine becomes.
The resulting wines are, quite naturally for a wine style invented in Georgia, fantastic with food. We’ve rounded up a couple of examples for you to try at home:
Taste of Georgia have a good selection.
Try this classic qvevri amber wine from Transylvania Wine.
The Georgian Wine Society has another great range with options at all price points.
