Corsage - Amber Style Traminette (2022)

Orange wine, also known as skin-contact or amber wine, denotes an ancient style of winemaking: white wine grapes were fermented with their skins, similar to the process used for red wines. The resulting wine was buried in clay vessels to age and produced wines with an orange or amber color.

We didn't bury our Corsage in clay, but did ferment it at 57 degrees and aged it for two years in oak barrels at 60 degrees. The result is a dry wine with prominent aroma of Honeysuckle and Rose. It has a light dry oak and dry grass finish and a somewhat creamy mouth feel due to malolactic fermentation. Another description could simply be "Floral Chardonnay".

Because this wine was fermented on the skins, it contains tannins which in turn facilitate ageing in the bottle. We tasted it before bottling, after bottling, at release and frequently since. We can say with confidence that it is evolving in just that short time.

Bottled: 10 May 2023

Released: 26 May 2023

Residual Sugar: 0% (Dry)

Alcohol: 13%

Food Pairings:

• Sheep cheeses such as Manchego and Feta.
• Olive oil roasted mixed vegetables that have been sprinkled with any Mediterranean spice blend, salt and pepper.
• Olives in general.
• This Mediterranean Savory Muffins recipe

MORE HISTORY?

While it's challenging to pinpoint an exact time and place of origin, this practice has historical roots in various winemaking regions. Georgia, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia, is often credited as one of the earliest locations where this style of winemaking was employed. Georgian winemaking has a rich history dating back thousands of years, and traditional Georgian winemakers used large clay vessels called qvevris to ferment and age wines, including those made with skin contact

In addition to Georgia, other regions with historical ties to orange wine making include Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy and the neighboring regions of Slovenia and Croatia. These areas have a tradition of extended skin contact in winemaking, contributing to the development of orange wines.

In recent years, orange wine making has gained popularity in various wine regions around the world as winemakers experiment with different grape varieties and techniques.

The revival of this ancient method has become a part of the broader natural and minimal-intervention winemaking movements