@thefoodgriot original photography holding a tasting pour of a natural ‘orange wine’ at an industry event in manhattan …
I always say orange wines are a wonderful way to begin discovering the world of wine for staunch beer lovers…
International Beer Day is always the first Friday in August, which this year falls on August 2nd…last year it fell on Friday Aug 4th which was the same day as National White Wine Day (on August 4th each year…)
Either way , today’s still a good day to share with ya’ll my theories , strategies and suggestions about ways to bridge beer & wine drinkers (the latter is the camp i fall in although i do appreciate what i consider to be the more refreshing styles of beer which I tend to find via non-American options — except now I AM happy with the resurgence of sour beers nationwide. …
Anyway, back to the bridge: so basically I say it’s not a bad idea for people with ‘wine palates’ to explore crisp, clean international beer brands & styles (not just Belgian but also Jamaican, Haitian, Mexican, African, Indian… ) … And on the flip side, for beer enthusiasts to look into trying a range of 'orange wines' (which are basically white wine’s more melanated cousins) ….
So-called ‘orange wines’ ( FYI oranges nor any part of that citrus fruit are involved in the making of these wines)... are the reincarnations of an ancient wine-making style — made from white wine grapes that've spent maceration time with the grape skins (incl. stems, seeds, juice, etc.) in clay vessels and that yield wines reflecting an orangey range of colors from deep yellow to bright pumpkin with golden hues.
original @thefoodgriot photography & collage showing the range of orange wine options often available at Good Wine 327 5th Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215
Whether dry, fruity or ever so slightly (or seriously) "funky" (only in the good way), orange wines tend to have more layered complexities than most white wines — with tannins too that are typically only found in red wines. There also tends to be more pleasantly palatable bitter notes than you’ll find in a regular glass of white wine and instead is more akin to either a well balanced cocktail — OR like I’m tryna tell y’all — not unlike certain kinds of beer (international) styles (SIDE NOTE: I say international b/c IMHO American beers these days have become over the top— as in too big, dense, high in alcohol content and supercalifragilistically bitter — b/c most are way too hoppy — again, in my opinion. Classically crisper, leaner and more refreshing above mentioned international beers are what tend to float my boat with my wine-skewed palate and all).
A BONUS note for BOTH Beer & Wine Lovers:
Beer aficionados fyi you can also find delightfully naturally fizzy orange wines in the form of Pét-nats (a nickname for the French term 'pétillant naturel' which means 'natural sparkling' wine made according an ancestral method. And if you’re thinking that’s prolly pricier than a beer — you MIGHT be right …BUT you should know you can get a good bottle in the low to mid $20’s which at 5 healthy servings per wine bottle comes out to about 5.50 per serving (= the same price or cheaper than one beer)…
A BIT of BOOZE MATH:
Ok yeah, sure — a wine serving is half the liquid volume amount of single serving beer bottle — b/c it’s usually about double the alcohol content (wine ranges from about 10% to 13% ABV vs beer’s 5% to 9% range. Like i mentioned earlier though these days many modern American beers have almost the same ABV as some wines (i.e. in the 10% range) so do keep that in mind considering that beer servings are significantly larger than that of a standard wine pour). Anyway, just plan to sip and savor your orange wine or pet nat slightly more slowly and enjoy the conversation along the way.
Not unlike beer making, these styles of wines have a very long history that goes way back thousands of years. Once again what's old is new again — especially if it’s new for you and all the the beer lovers out there who thought there wasn’t a wine for them.
Comment below to let me know how it goes if / when you might happen to try your first orange wine and/or share a bottle with any of your beer loving peeps.
SEE ALSO : Rotate Your Beer Day … and National Beer Day…
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