It’s Official: Orange Wine is DOC-Certifiable in Collio, Italy
DOC recognition brings legitimacy to orange wines in the famed Italian winemaking region. [...] Read More... The post It’s Official: Orange Wine is DOC-Certifiable in Collio, Italy appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.
The rolling hills of Collio, in Northeastern Italy, are witnessing a revolution. Thirty years since the region’s first modern skin-fermented white wines were released, the Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio, the organization that oversees wines from the region, voted 72% in favor of adding a new category to its official production roster: vino da uve macerate (wine from macerated grapes), which most of us know as orange wine.
This move signals both a return to tradition and gives transparency to the consumer, providing legitimacy to Collio as the modern cradle of orange wine. But as the style becomes more closely regulated, some orange wine fans are concerned about the famously unruly style becoming more standardized.
Orange Wine in Collio
Collio has long been a haven for rebels. Thirty years ago, Joško Gravner and Stanko Radikon rejected conventional winemaking practices and began skin-fermenting their Ribolla Gialla. This resulted in the revival of orange wines in the area, which had been made for centuries but fell out of favor when new technology entered the market in the 20th century.
But the revolution came at a price. Denied the right to use the prestigious Collio name, they were forced to bottle their wines as IGP Venezia or Vino Bianco, with no mention of the famed region.
Now, after decades of trying to gain recognition for their work, orange wine producers are finally getting their due. The new category will define wines that undergo at least seven days of fermentative maceration, with strict parameters on color and volatile acidity, which can go up to 1.2 mg per liter, like red wines.
This new designation will reduce ambiguity in the DOC evaluation process since producers weren’t able to clearly label their wines as skin contact. Meanwhile, consumers, who often rely on these designations as a signal of quality, couldn’t be sure about what they were drinking.
“We can certify these wines and write it on the label,” says Lavinia Zamaro, director of the Collio Consorzio. Before this, someone could order a Ribolla that’s a fresh white or an orange wine without knowing exactly which one they were getting, she adds.
