Orange wines and rosé wines share more similarities than differences. Depending on the style of wine you like, there are orange wines and rosé wines for every wine drinker.
The TL;DR for the difference between rosé wine and orange wine is:
Rosé wine is made using red wine grapes, and orange wine is made using white wine grapes. Grapes in rosé wine have minimal skin contact, which is why the wine is pink. Grapes in orange wine have more skin contact, which is why the wine is orange.
White wine, pink wine, red wine – orange wine? Yep. Orange wine is a thing. And, it’s a completely different style of wine than rosé. The difference between rosé wine and orange wine is more than skin deep – get it, because of the skin-contact? Sorry, just a little wine humor.
Part of the confusion comes down to the wines’ color. Depending on the producer, rosé wines and orange wines can appear to be similar colors. I’ve certainly had a few rosés that are closer to an orangish pink than they are to the pink wine color some associate with rosé. It’s no wonder then that some consumers are eager to know if rosé wines are orange wines.
Before we go any further, I’m just going to put this here at the top: orange wine is not wine made with oranges, or blended with oranges, and there are no orange grape varieties out there. Not in the Côtes de Provence, not in Napa Valley, not anywhere.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dig into the reason you’re here: to discuss orange wine vs. rosé.
What is orange wine?
In a nutshell: orange wine, or skin-contact wine, as it’s usually labeled, is white wine made with red winemaking techniques. This means that the white wine grapes remain in contact with the skins during fermentation. Just as the skins of red wine grapes are left in contact when making red wine.
This process has the dual effect of creating an orange colored wine, and giving orange wine some of the same qualities we associate with red wine, like tannins.
Interestingly, orange wine cannot be labeled as ‘orange wine’ because the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB), the government organization which monitors wine labeling in the US, believes that calling a wine “orange wine” may lead some people to believe the wine is made with oranges.
Contrary to some interesting videos describing how to make orange wine on YouTube, orange wine is not wine made from actual oranges. Rather, orange wine is the informal term for white wine that has had more skin contact time during fermentation than white wines. When shopping for orange wine, look for labels like ‘skin-contact’ or ‘skin-fermented’.
You will find Vermentino orange wine, Picpoul orange wine, etc.
Of course, if you’re at your local wine shop, and you ask if they have any orange wines, or natural orange wines, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.
Are there orange wine grapes?
In a word, ‘no’. There are white wine grapes and red wine grapes. A wine’s color is determined by how long the grape skins are in contact with the juice during the winemaking process.
Orange wine color
Like red, white, and rosé wines, orange wines vary in color, depending on how long the skins and the wine commingled in the fermentation tank. Orange wine can be a soft coral color, an intense yellow-ish orange, or straight orange-orange.
History of orange wine
Despite appearing in trendy restaurants, bars, wine blogs, and Instagrams around the world. Orange wine isn’t new. In fact, it’s as old as rosé wine, which dates back to 1550 B.C. – that stands for ‘before Chardonnay’ for those of you keeping track at home. I promise, that’s the last joke.
Orange wine originated in what is now Georgia (the country, not the state). While we don’t have exact dates for either of these wines, both orange wine and rosé wine date back thousands of years.
Consider orange wine to be part of the everything old is new again movement, like vinyl records, the Motorola Razr, and if you ask today’s teens, a band called Nirvana.
How is orange wine made?
As mentioned above, orange wine can be made with any white grape variety, which is why you’ll see everything from Vermentino orange wine, to Picpoul orange wine, to Gewurztraminer orange wine when you start shopping for orange wine.
Orange wine is wine made with white wine grapes, and during the winemaking process, the wine spends more time in contact with the grape skins than a traditional white wine would. This is why orange wine is labeled skin-contact wine.
A go-to descriptor for how orange wine tastes is comparing them to sour beers. But, having said that, skin-contact wine can also have bright flavors, and an acidic finish. It all just depends on how much time the wine spent with the skins.
How rosé wine is made
Rosé wine is made with red wine grapes. In this winemaking process, the red grapes spend less time commingling with the wine – hence the pink wine color, as opposed to the red wine color that you’d find in a Pinot Noir, Cabernet, etc, which has extended skin contact.
Orange wine vs. rosé wine: organic farming vs. conventional farming methods
Another tell-tale difference between orange wines and rosé wines is the ethos of the winemaker. Those in the natural wine movement, like most orange wine winemakers, believe in the use of organic farming methods, low intervention processes, and ethical vineyard management plans. Ideas like environmental and social considerations such as vineyard workers’ rights, pollination programs, etc, are often included in these plans.
Many, but not all, producers of the pink stuff see things differently.
Let’s face it, rosé wine is the most commercialized wine on the market. Is there any other wine that has the well-oiled marketing department that pink wines have? The hashtags (#roseallday; #nowayrose, etc), the t-shirts, the decor? Nope.
While there are definitely biodynamic rosé wines, Horse and Plow wines, and Martha Stouman’s Post Flirtation Rosé come to mind, because skin-contact wine isn’t produced in the same quantities by wine companies with mass market distribution, they have more freedom to produce wines in ways that align with their core values.
Rosé vs. orange wine: Which wine to serve
What’s great about both rosé wine and orange wine, is that they both come in a variety of styles. Bigger, and meatier, bright and crisp, or somewhere in the middle.
Some wine drinkers will tell you that pink wines (aka rosé) are more approachable than orange wines, but they just haven’t met the right skin-contact wine.
If you’re going to a party, have some fun at the expense of the other guests, go ahead and just pit them against each, and see which wine wins the day. It’s all in the name of science.
Both rosé wine and orange wines are great for sunny days and warm nights. And, if you’re at a BBQ, orange wine will go toe-to-toe with St. Louis style BBQ – or any BBQ for that matter. On the other hand, if you’re serving lighter fare, how do you say ‘no’ to rosé?
See what I mean? Things could get ugly as you’re trying to decide the winner of the rosé vs orange wine battle royale.
Natural orange wines like the Groundwork Picpoul Carbonique, reviewed here, are spectacularly crisp and acidic. I would have no problem introducing my mom to this wine.
Shopping for orange wine
Rosé wine is for sale at every grocery store, wine store, andvmany big box retailers like Target and Walmart.
Shopping for skin-contact wine is a different story. Don’t expect to find orange wine for sale at the big box wine retailers like Total Wine or Bev Mo. Believe me, I did a little orange wine experiment and looked.
Instead, look for orange wines at smaller, locally owned wine shops, or, just buy orange wine directly from the winemaker.
The next time someone asks you the difference between rosé and orange wine, you can answer with confidence!