The "It" Drink of Fall — Orange Wine, Plus: How To Host Your Wine Tasting at Home
Orange wine has been on the rise as the newest trend. Some even say it is becoming the new rosé! But, funnily enough, orange wine has been around for years and is the world's oldest wine style.
It is known as skin-fermented white wine, as the white grapes are fermented with the skins. The skin contact can be as short as a few hours or remain in touch through fermentation. Orange wine has its unique character, combining the freshness and acidity of white wine and the depth of flavor of a red.
As it is making its comeback from an ancient technique to the trendiest wine choice, we thought we would give you a guide to the perfect orange wine tasting you can organize at home with your friends.
The Guest List & Location
An at-home wine tasting works best with about 5 to 10 people and in an intimate setting, preferably with a table.
The Wine
We suggest having a minimum of three wines to taste but depending on the number of guests; you might want to try more! Fun Fact: A bottle of wine has about ten taste servings (each serving is 2 to 3 ounces).
A fun way to involve your guest is to ask each attendee to bring a wine of their choice and a little knowledge about it. This way, everyone is engaged and participates in the tasting (which saves you $$)!
We served four different Orange wines:
- Borgo Savaian Aransat Orange Wine
- Channing Daughters Ramato Pinot Grigio Orange Wine
- Gulp Hablo Organic Orange Wine
- Krasno Orange Goriška Brda
The Pairings
Now that the wines are sorted, we can move on to the perfect snacks to accompany your tasting. For an effortless and quick option, we recommend throwing some Savorly bites in the oven and curating a cheese plate while baking. Our Mini Pies, Mini-Tarts, and Cocktail Bites are perfect to complement any wines and cheese you choose to serve at your tasting.
We paired Beemster Goat gouda, Manchego, and Taleggio for our orange wine choices with some red grapes.
The Table Setting
And for the fun part — get creative with the table setting. If you don't have enough wine glasses or don't want to worry about your nice ones getting broken, take a trip to your local thrift store and pick up some vintage glasses. An eclectic set of mix match glassed is a unique addition to any tasting setting and a great conversation prompt.
We opted for a set of multi-colored glasses and assigned colors based on our guest's personalities.
The Tasting
Once it's time for the wine tasting, gather everyone around the table and give a brief introduction to each wine you're about to taste; make sure to allow a brief intermission between each wine for guests to cleanse their palate and have a snack.
Happy hosting!
