Have you ever had orange wine? Orange wines are white wines that are made with skin contact, meaning they are made like red wines with the grape skins present during fermentation. The skin, which isn’t normally left on during fermentation for white wine, gives these “orange” wines their amber hue. The deepness in orange color depends on how long the juice ferments with the skins—which can be hours to weeks to months. The skins also give these white wines a different flavor profile. The longer the skin-contact, the bolder the wine. My pal The Real House Wine has a great article about orange wine.

If you haven’t tried one, today is the perfect day because it’s National Orange Wine Day! Yesterday, I posted a bottle of 2007 Bastianich Friulano, and today I’m sharing a bottle of 2015 Livon Collio Manditocai Friulano.

Their history goes back 50 years, with roots in the family’s passion and traditions: a true love for the homeland, Friuli or better, the Collio and the Colli Orientali del Friuli, the far north-eastern corner of Italy and gateway to Eastern Europe. Dorino Livon acquired his first vineyards on the Collio hills  in 1964, and slowly, plot by plot, expanded his property to establish the Azienda Agricola Livon estate. In the early 1980s, his sons started working in the family company. Throughout the years, they brought new inventive ideas to evolve and stay competitive in the market and expanded their reach beyond the borders of Friuli.

The wine was gold in color, so not crazy bright orange, but falls into the skin-contact category. The wine had nice viscosity and an aromatic nose, but not as big of a punch as the one from yesterday. It had notes of pear, flowers, and spice. The wine was dry with nice acidity, with notes of apple, apricot, honeysuckle, and almond. The tannins weren’t as bold as the other and there was a nice minerality. It had a decent lingering finish. It has 14% ABV, so you can taste the alcohol in it, but not as strong for some reason as the one from yesterday. Like my previous post, I got this bottle at Wine by the Bay for $37. They’re the best for unique bottles!

Cheers to orange wine!