Written by Butz Tenchavez

Let’s talk about wine that is still new to our local market. Let’s also talk about the orange wine we carry in the portfolio 'JCV Ramato Pinot Grigio.'

Orange wine was not made for Halloween drinking. It is also not an orange juice with wine added or wine made from oranges. Quick information - Orange wine is also called amber wines, skin-contact or macerated wines which can now be seen in hip and cool wine bars or natural wines stores in Paris and New York City.
 
Put simply, Orange wines are white grapes pressed, extracted and left under their skins and seeds for a period of time for that orange color and unique flavor not often found in classic white wines. This style is often done for red wines. Labelled as part of the natural wine movement as it uses little to 0 sulfur and minimal intervention. The resulting wine will give dry tannins with medium bodied and exotic fruit flavors.
 
Your standard Pinot Grigio will give a clear and light-yellow color but with this method and the desire of the winemaker. It can produce numerous shades of orange. This winemaking method is not new. Orange wine has been here for a thousand years, with origins in the Republic of Georgia but only accepted in the last decade or so. Many delicious examples in Northern Italy, Chile, Spain and Slovenia. 

JCV is the winemaker of his family estate in Casablanca Valley, located in a cool coastal area in Northwest Chile. On top of his super drinkable Pinot Noirs, he decided to produce skin-contact wines under his initials. The JCV Ramato is a homage to his orange wine training in 2005 at Emilia Romana, Italy with La Stoppa winery. Ramato comes from the word ‘rame’ which means ‘copper’ in Italian. Pumpkin color with flavors of jackfruit, peach, and bruised apricots. We would pair this with the butter chicken dish from Ricksha.