The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
Fulsome, Graceful Orange Wines
September 9, 2026
2025 Vincent Roussely Vin Orange Sauvignon
This vibrant, lively wine from the Loire Valley is a wonderful Rosé alternative, with a balance of fresh fruit and refreshing acidity. Produced with organic/biodynamic Sauvignon Blanc grapes coming from vineyards in Touraine
. Aroma: Candied orange and lemon peel, ripe stone fruit, dried apricot, orange blossoms. Mouth: Meyer lemon, honey, kiwi, tangerine, crisp, mineral, good acidity, hint of white grape tannin, and a clean, refreshing finish.
Very Good $18.99, Case $15.99
2024 Marmenio Rkatsiteli Orange
From Georgia in the Caucasus, this wine was fermented and aged in local qvevri, amphorae, traditionally—natural wine, fermented with natural yeast. Unfined and unfiltered, with no additives except a little sulfur at bottling, this middle-weight wine is pure and more balanced than most orange wines we've tasted, no matter the source. It is lighter in alcohol, delicious, and easy to drink.
Aroma: intense, heady and savory, rather rich and intense, rounded stone fruit spice; Mouth: clean, fullish, rich, good weight, steely intense; Very Good Plus $24.95; Case, $21
2024 Montenidoli Tradizionale Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Tuscany’s Montenidoli winery epitomizes the dedication and passion of its founder, Elisabetta Fagiuoli. Committed to organic viticulture and minimal cellar intervention, Montenidoli has become a benchmark for the Vernaccia grape. Elisabetta makes a fantastic skin-contact wine masquerading as a white wine.
Aroma: Golden apples, pear, dried apricot, chamomile, lemongrass, dried orange peel, and wild English gardens. Mouth: Rich body, fleshy orchard fruit, great structure, balanced acidity, English herbal tea, and plenty of complexity with a captivating finish. Very Good Plus $29.99, Case $25.49
Good pinot gris, the grey colored mutation of pinot noir, is a prime candidate for judicious skin contact. As Simone Adams says, “ the wine is not complete without some skin input.” Below are variations on that theme from winemakers on three continents.
2025 Joseph -Jibril Skin Contact Pinot Gris
Joseph-Jibril, the artisanal project of two young winemakers, is one of the new guard of California winemaking. They work with organically farmed vineyards and have a minimal-intervention approach to winemaking.
Color: light orange, tan; Aroma: rather subdued, yeasty, reserved; Mouth: clean light bright acid, fresh, light and clean, good acid length; Very Good Plus $23.99; Case, $19.95
2025 Adamswein Grauburgunder, Rheinhessen ,
Simone Adams trod very lightly in the skin contact for this one. Only a portion of this had skin contact, which means it is only slightly orange but still a savory wine of power and finesse.
Vinous, “just a tinge of pink in its pale coppery color. … The nose is all subtle yeast with the merest touch of florality, very tender but also very charming. A well of freshness, a flowing, juicy generosity, seemingly emanating from a wonderful, central, almost zesty core around which a delicious veil of phenolics gathers. There is not an ounce of fat, not a frill, but a whole lot of freshness and beauty. $26.95; Case, $22.95
2024 Craven Pinot Gris
Technically Orange, but Full Throttle Rose
Mick Craven, an innovative young winemaker in South Africa's Stellenbosch, showed us this wine about a month ago, a white that has become decidedly red from 5 days of skin contact. Along with his other wines, this gets kudos for its impeccable poise and intensity. Full-bodied, we recommend it for stronger dishes and even spicy, marinated grilled foods.
Color: very light red, black; Aroma: heady and deep, reserved, pretty; Mouth: ripe and full, bright, clean, very nicely balanced; Very Good - Excellent $25.99; Case, $21.
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