Skin Contact White Wine (Orange Wine): Short (Days), Medium (Weeks), Extended (Months)

Orange wine is white wine made with extended contact between the grape juice and the skins during fermentation, a technique more commonly associated with red winemaking; WSET says the skin contact gives the wines their distinctive colour, texture and tannic structure, as well as complex savoury and oxidative flavours. The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) describes amber or orange wines as wines made from white grapes using techniques traditionally used for red winemaking, involving fermentation on skins, seeds and sometimes stems, and sometimes extended skin contact after fermentation. The OIV's 2020 definition of 'white wine with maceration' covers white wine derived from alcoholic fermentation of a must with prolonged contact with grape pomace, including skins, pulp, seeds and eventually stems, and sets a minimum maceration phase of 1 month.

• Made from white grape varieties: the OIV category requires that winemaking is conducted exclusively using white grape varieties
• Colour: the OIV says the category can be characterised by an orange-amber colour; the AWRI notes such wines can also appear white, yellow or pink, depending on the variety and process
• Not the same as pre-fermentation skin contact: the AWRI distinguishes amber winemaking from techniques where white juice sits on the skins for a period before fermentation and is then pressed and fermented off skins
• Terminology: the AWRI notes some producers use 'amber wine' as an alternative to 'orange wine', which consumers could confuse with the Orange GI region or with a wine made from oranges

Decanter's definition uses the same three timescales as this page: white wines where the grapes were left in contact with their skins for days, weeks or even months. The bands below are a reading aid, not a legal classification; the OIV's one-month minimum applies only to its 'white wine with maceration' category. Duration matters even at the scale of hours: the AWRI reports that with pre-fermentation skin contact, flavonoid and non-flavonoid phenolics in the resulting wines have been seen to increase proportionally to the length of 6, 12 and 24 hours of contact. At the short end, Radikon lists its 'S' Line wines at 8/14 days on the skins and its 'Pop' Line at 2/4 days. WSET notes that Friuli wineries producing mainly conventional whites typically macerate their skin-contact wines for up to a month, and that elsewhere in the world the time on skins is typically limited, perhaps up to a month. In the middle band, WSET reports maceration in Oslavia and Brda ranging from a few days to three months, and Radikon lists its Ribolla and Jakot at 2/3 months on the skins. At the long end, Georgia's National Wine Agency says that for white grapes in qvevri the wine is kept with the chacha (skins and pips) until spring, and Gravner's Ribolla spends six months on the skins.

• Short (days): Radikon's 'S' Line, 8/14 days on the skins; its 'Pop' Line Bianco, 2/4 days on the skins
• Medium (weeks to a few months): Radikon Ribolla and Jakot, 2/3 months on the skins; WSET reports a few days to three months across Oslavia and Brda
• Extended (months): Georgian qvevri whites, kept on the chacha until spring (National Wine Agency); Gravner Ribolla, six months on the skins (WSET)
• Pheasant's Tears in Georgia says its qvevri maceration depends on variety and qvevri size and varies between 3 weeks and 6 months

The AWRI says skin contact aims to increase the extraction of aroma and phenolic compounds from the skins, seeds and any stems, to optimise tannin structure, texture and mouth-feel and add savoury complexity. It describes amber wines as typically orange in colour, dry and with noticeable tannin astringency, but mostly less astringent than red wines, because white grapes contain lower concentrations of anthocyanins and extracted tannin is less likely to be retained. Decanter's Simon Woolf writes that the colour comes from the skins, not from oxidation, and that the result is markedly more intense on the nose and palate, sometimes with significant tannins. WSET says the skin-contact wines of Friuli wineries, typically macerated for up to a month, combine fresh primary fruit with orange peel and nuttiness, while Georgia's National Wine Agency says a white wine kept on the chacha for a long time acquires a dark straw, golden or tea colour, fruit tones and moderate tannins.

• Tannin and texture: skin contact targets tannin structure, texture and mouth-feel (AWRI); lighter styles show subtle phenolics, while the most extreme examples carry full-on tannins (Decanter)
• Colour: the AWRI calls amber wines typically orange in colour, and the OIV links its category to an orange-amber colour; WSET says Gravner's wines are more accurately described as amber because extensive ageing gives a brown tint
• Chemistry: the AWRI says an increase of up to 0.2 pH units can be expected when white grapes are fermented on skins, and lower alcohol levels have also been observed
• Serving: the AWRI says amber wines are generally intended to be drunk at room temperature and are often considered food wines

WSET writes that wine has been part of Georgian life for more than eight millennia, and that for white wines in Kakheti fermentation traditionally takes place with the skins, seeds and, in many cases, the stems, after which the wine usually stays on these solids for several additional months. In Imereti, whites are generally fermented with a much smaller proportion of skins and seeds and stems are usually omitted; Georgia's National Wine Agency puts the Imereti addition at a maximum of one-third of the chacha. WSET notes that Georgian growers never called these wines amber, orange or skin-contact wines; those are modern international terms. In Friuli, WSET writes that during the second half of the 1960s Mario Schiopetto was inspired by modern techniques from Germany and Austria to produce white wine in a modern style, pale in colour and without tannins; in nearby Oslavia, Radikon turned to skin-macerated Ribolla in 1995, and Gravner experimented with the surviving Ribolla Gialla after the hail of 1996, then made his first qvevri wine in 2001. Decanter's Simon Woolf traces the practice in Friuli and Brda further back, citing an 1844 manual by the priest Matija Vertovec that recommended skin macerations 'from 24 hours to 30 days'.

• Georgia: the OIV reports that discussions on white wines with maceration began within the OIV at Georgia's initiative in 2017; the definition was adopted through Resolution OIV-ECO 647-2020
• UNESCO inscribed the ancient Georgian traditional qvevri winemaking method on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013
• Oslavia and Brda: WSET names Stanko Radikon and Dario Prinčič in Oslavia, and Aleks Klinec, Edi Simčič and Aleš Kristančič (Movia) in Brda, among the producers who joined Gravner in making skin-contact whites
• The term 'orange wine' was coined in 2004 by David Harvey of Raeburn Fine Wines, according to Decanter; the OIV adopted its 'white wine with maceration' definition on 26 November 2020
• Beyond Georgia and Italy: the OIV notes that France, Italy and Slovakia also offer orange wines, and the AWRI lists Georgia, Friuli, Sicily, and parts of Spain, Slovenia and Switzerland as places where amber winemaking is a regional specialty

Joško Gravner in Oslavia grows Ribolla Gialla on 90 per cent of his vineyards, half in Italy and half in Slovenia, according to WSET. His Ribolla ferments in wax-lined, buried amphorae of 1,300 to 2,600 litres, spends six months on the skins, is pressed and returned to the amphorae for a further six months, then matures for six years in very large, old Slavonian oak casks; it is released seven years after the harvest. Radikon, also in Oslavia, dates its skin-macerated Ribolla to 1995 and records a 2002 decision that all its wines would macerate for 3 months and no longer needed sulphites. Its current Blue line lists Ribolla and Jakot at 2/3 months on the skins, 3 years in barrel and 1-2 years in bottle depending on the vintage; its history page calls Jakot, first made in 2001, 'the counter-current Tocai'. Stanko Radikon (d. 2016) ran the estate from the late 1970s with his wife Suzana, and the Consorzio Collio says it is now in the hands of his son, the oenologist Saša. In Georgia, Pheasant's Tears ferments and ages all its wines in qvevri, adding the ripest stems to the skins, juice and pits for both reds and whites.

• Gravner Ribolla (Oslavia): six months on the skins in buried amphorae, six further months in amphorae off the skins, six years in large old Slavonian oak, released seven years after the harvest (WSET)
• Radikon Ribolla (Oslavia): 2/3 months on the skins, 3 years in barrel, 1-2 years in bottle depending on the vintage (Radikon)
• Radikon Jakot (Oslavia): the same 2/3 months on the skins, 3 years in barrel and 1-2 years in bottle; first made in 2001 (Radikon)
• Radikon Oslavje: first made in 1992 as a blend of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and macerated for 8 days from 1997 (Radikon)
• Pheasant's Tears (Georgia): all wines fermented and aged in qvevri, with maceration of 3 weeks to 6 months depending on variety and qvevri size (Pheasant's Tears)

The AWRI says amber wine fermentations are often performed warm and not temperature controlled, and that some winemakers use natural yeasts and ferment in different types of amphorae, barrels or tanks. Buried qvevri take a different route: Georgia's National Wine Agency says the temperature in a qvevri buried in the ground holds at 13-15°, and WSET describes the surrounding earth as a natural thermal buffer. On pre-fermentation skin contact, the AWRI notes that higher temperatures markedly increase phenolic extraction and can give coarser, more astringent wines, with the best results likely between 15 and 20°C. Decanter's Simon Woolf reports that although the winemaking is often oxidative, with open-top oak or plastic fermenters popular, producers typically seal vessels after fermentation to keep the wines fresh. The AWRI lists the most commonly reported risks of extended skin contact as bitterness and overly astringent tannins, overt oxidation and spoilage by undesirable yeast or bacteria, and advises starting with a small batch.

• Cap management: Georgia's National Wine Agency says qvevri wine needs stirring 4-5 times a day before it has fermented; Gravner punches down 5-6 times a day during six months on skins (WSET)
• Stems: in Kakheti, white wines ferment with the stems in many cases, while in Imereti stems are usually omitted (WSET); Gravner includes some stems if they are ripe (WSET)
• Sulfur dioxide: the AWRI says amber wines can be made with or without sulfur dioxide added to the finished wine; Gravner adds small amounts to the harvested grapes and at bottling (WSET)
• Grape choice: the AWRI says low aromatic varieties are often used, while varieties high in phenolics and acid can appear harsh and bitter, and phenolic under-ripeness can add bitterness and astringency

Primary sources (the OIV, WSET, Georgia's National Wine Agency, the Australian Wine Research Institute, the Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio, and producers' own sites for their own wines): https://www.oiv.int/standards/white-wine-with-maceration, https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/7577/en-resume-resolutions-oiv-paris-2020.pdf, https://www.oiv.int/white-wine-with-maceration-interview-with-the-georgian-minister-for-agriculture, https://wine.gov.ge/En/KvevriWine, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/what-is-orange-wine-understanding-skin-contact-white-wines, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/qvevri-the-ancient-vessel-at-the-heart-of-georgian-winemaking, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-amber-wine/, https://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/winemaking_resources/winemaking-practices/winemaking-treatment-skin-contact/, https://www.collio.it/en/vino/ribolla-gialla/, https://www.radikon.it/en/history/, https://www.radikon.it/en/vini/, https://www.pheasantstears.com/winw-vineyard, https://www.collio.it/cantina/radikon/. Secondary: https://www.decanter.com/features/orange-wines-it-s-time-to-get-in-touch-245524/. Last verified 2026-09-29