L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 28 WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES C all me old-fash- ioned, but I've always experienced the universe in three spatial dimensions. "Two dimensions is just a point. We may remember the coordinate plane from math class with the x and y-axes. Then there' s the third dimension, depth (the z-axis). Another way to look at it is latitude, longitude, and altitude, which can locate any object on Earth. These are followed by the fourth dimen- sion, space-time. Everything has to occur somewhere and at a cer- tain time. After that, things get weird." (BigThink.com) String theorists, however, have done good work propound- ing that I may need to update my view of the universe. "…super- string theory, for instance, claims that there are ten dimen- sions — nine spatial dimensions and a tenth dimension of time … " (LiveScience.com) Likewise, a recent tasting focus on orange wine is giving me cause to amend an otherwise three-dimensional experience of wine, i.e., red, white, and rosé. Orange wine, known some- times as amber wine, though more rightly referred to skin- macerated white wine, is wine made from white wine grapes. Where the making of conven- tional white wine would typical- ly separate juice from grape skins after crushing, production of orange wine leaves grape skins and seeds to remain in contact with the juice for a mat- t e r o f d a y s t o e v e n m a n y months. Along with its orange-y color, orange wine derives from the skin contact period a typical- ly bold and complex profile with a real sense of tannic grip. U n l i k e s t r i n g t h e o r y , t h e making of orange wine is not a new idea. "The practice has a long history in winemaking dat- i n g b a c k h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s in Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and thousands of years in the Eurasian wine producing country of Georgia. The prac- tice was revitalized by Italian and Slovenian winemakers, ini- tially in the cross-border Friuli- Venezia Giulia wine and Gorizia Hills regions, while there is also production in Slovenia, Croatia, A u s t r i a , G e r m a n y , N e w Z e a l a n d , a n d C a l i f o r n i a . " (Wikipedia) The relationship of orange wine to the current wine scene is an interesting one. "Skin-fer- mented white wines were not uncommon in Italy up until the 1950s and 1960s, but fell out of fashion as technically 'correct' and fresh white wines came to d o m i n a t e t h e m a r k e t . " ( W i k i p e d i a ) T h e p r o d u c t i o n process of orange wine is so fundamentally "natural" in both practice and principle it is, in recent times, instinctively of interest to non-interventionist winemakers associated with the natural wine movement. Many producers of skin-macerated whites employ an organic and/or biodynamic approach to wine. That is not to say, however, that t h e y a l l q u a l i f y a s " n a t u r a l " w i n e s . A s t h e n a t u r a l w i n e movement continues to grow in p o p u l a r i t y , a n o b s e r v a b l e increase in availability of orange wine on retail shelves is evident. Skin-macerated whites can t a k e o n m y r i a d a n d c o l o r f u l orange-y tones ranging from peach, melon, saffron, amber, copper, orange peel, bronze, and more. The wines are generally full-bodied with scents and fla- vors of fruit that are at once familiar and exotic, honey, cedar wood, dried citrus peel, and an irresistible, underlying nuttiness. Orange wine's complex per- f u m e a n d f l a v o r , w o n d e r f u l freshness, detectable tannins make for extraordinary food- pairing possibilities. Yes, orange wine can elevate my favorite Italian cuisine versions of fish, w h i t e m e a t , p a s t a , c h e e s e s , grilled vegetables, etc. However, the category has become one of my favorite "go-to" pairings when craving international fla- v o r s , t o o : K o r e a n k i m c h e e , buckwheat pancakes, Indian cur- ries, spicy Singapore Mei Fun, J a p a n e s e - s t y l e g r i l l e d m e a t skewers, for example. Orange wines even work well with foods that typically present a pairing challenge … think artichokes, green tomato, or Chinese cui- sine's bitter melon. And you will not regret setting down a glass of orange wine beside barbecue of any kind. R e c o m m e n d e d p r o d u c e r s include: Abbazia San Giorgio, Cascina Degli Ulivi, Costadila, A n g i o l i n o M a u l e , D a n i e l e Piccinin, Radikon. I should mention that a first taste of orange wine should be had with an open mind. There is no need for worry or anxiety. It's s i m p l y t h a t , f o r s o m e w i n e lovers, the palate may need a few minutes to understand and adapt to the dimension which skin-macerated whites introduce. Give it a moment. So that you can examine the orange wine experience. And appreciate it. For now, I shall leave you to consider wine's X, Y, and Z axes, the drinkable dimensions known as red, white, and rosé. T o a s s e s s y o u r c u r i o s i t y i n vino's fourth dimension. And if it's powerful enough to expand y o u r w i n e u n i v e r s e w i t h a n orange wine experience. To per- haps reckon at what longitude, latitude, and altitude it is that you might, indeed, locate a bot- tle of good orange … oh, sorry … skin-macerated white wine. Tasting Note: Radikon Ribolla Gialla Scents and flavors of fresh and dried fruit (apricot), nut, and cake, orbit around umami grace n o t e s . D r i e d c i t r u s p e e l a n d caramel echoes on a long, persis- tent finish. Shades of orange: wine comes in more than white, red and rosé Orange wine: vino's fourth dimension JOEL MACK Orange wine, known also as amber wine, is perfect with grilled meat skewers

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