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Orange wine often feels contemporary, even radical, yet its roots stretch back thousands of years. In this episode of The Wine Lab, we travel to Georgia, widely considered one of the birthplaces of wine, to explore qvevri winemaking, extended skin contact, and the historical foundations of what we now call orange wine. Along the way, we unpack how this style bridges white and red winemaking, why it pairs so naturally with food, and how ancient clay vessels continue to shape modern wine conversations. This is a story of time, texture, and continuity.
Glossary
- Orange wine: White wine produced with extended skin contact, resulting in amber color, tannic structure, and enhanced phenolic extraction.
- Qvevri: Large egg shaped clay vessels traditionally buried in the ground in Georgia and used for fermentation and aging, providing thermal stability and gentle oxygen exchange.
- Skin contact: The period during which grape juice remains in contact with skins, seeds, and sometimes stems, influencing color, tannin, texture, and aroma development.
- Phenolic compounds: A group of compounds including tannins and flavonoids that contribute to bitterness, astringency, color, mouthfeel, and oxidative stability.
- Supra: A traditional Georgian feast centered on food, wine, and guided toasts, emphasizing hospitality, memory, and community.
- Tamada: The toastmaster at a Georgian supra, responsible for guiding the rhythm, order, and meaning of toasts.
- Rkatsiteli: One of Georgia’s most widely planted white grape varieties, known for high acidity, thick skins, and suitability for extended skin contact.
- Kisi: A Georgian white grape variety that produces aromatic, structured wines, often showing stone fruit, spice, and tea like notes when made with skin contact.
- Mtsvane: A family of Georgian white grape varieties valued for freshness, herbal aromatics, and balance, frequently blended with Rkatsiteli in qvevri wines.
- Khikhvi: A lesser known Georgian white grape variety that yields deeply colored, textured orange wines with pronounced phenolic structure and oxidative stability.
- Khachapuri: Traditional Georgian cheese filled bread, baked in various regional styles, often rich and salty, making it well suited to phenolic, textured wines.
- Khinkali: Large pleated Georgian dumplings filled with spiced meat and broth, typically eaten by hand and known for their savory intensity.
- Mtsvadi: Georgian grilled meat, commonly pork or lamb, cooked over open flame and served simply with onions and herbs.
- Pkhali: Cold vegetable dishes made from spinach, beets, or eggplant blended with walnuts, garlic, herbs, and spices, offering earthy and nut driven flavors.
- Lobio: Slow cooked Georgian bean dishes seasoned with walnuts, coriander, garlic, and herbs, often served warm or at room temperature.
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