Italian wine

Trendspotting Series II: Orange wine

This continues the series of wine trends which are more than mere trends. I look into the very popular orange wine trend, tracing it to its home in Friuli, the home of the Paraschos family who is committed to making natural wines.

Many readers would know that orange wine is not made from oranges. Nor, in many cases, is it even orange in colour: more often a rich amber or gold. In fact, orange or amber wine is made from white grapes that take on a deeper hue via skin contact (from grape stems, skins) during fermentation, so the term skin-contact wine is more accurate. It is also not a new creation although has become a modern trend. It is old. Very old.

Orange wine was first chronicled 8000 years ago in Georgia, the country known as the cradle of wine. Here, the wine was traditionally vinified in qvevri or large terracotta clay amphorae, where whole bunches of grapes (Rkatsiteli, Khikhvi, Saperavi and Kisi among many others), were left to macerate in the wine. The qvevri was then buried underground and the wine was left to mature. The skin, seeds and stalks (typically removed during white winemaking these days) imparted a deeper colour and tannins to the final wine. Ergo, the wine produced was often more red-wine in style and production method, with a deeper colour, savoury in flavour and textured on the palate.

Today, skin-contact wines are beloved of many sommeliers and wine experts for their complexity and structure and are often found on natural wine bar lists. They are also produced around the world, especially noteworthy being those made in Slovenia, Greece and in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia in northeastern Italy, besides quickly gaining popularity in the New World. In Friuli, a region renowned for its white wines, icon winemakers Josko Gravner and Stanko Radikon were among the first to turn their back on conventional winemaking, going back to methods of production that include use of ambient yeast, no sulphur dioxide, fining or filtration.

Today’s story is about a boutique winery in the sunny, undulating hills of Collio DOC, a prestigious wine region located in Friuli’s Gorizia province, where a passionate family gave up their established business to make high-quality skin contact natural wines.

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The Parachos Story

The Paraschos family were not vintners by tradition. When Evangelos Paraschos moved from his native Greece to Italy, he started a small pharmaceutical business. It was at Evangelos’ wife’s family-owned restaurant that his focus turned to wine. Here, in the 1980s when natural or organic winemaking was not even a trend, the restaurant wine list already featured natural, skin-contact wines including wines by Gravner and Radikon, upcoming producers at the time.

No wonder then that Alexis Paraschos, second-generation winemaker of Paraschos, grew up drinking natural wine made from native Collio grapes. “I was 18 years old when Paraschos started – so it was the only type of wine I knew. Later, when I discovered so-called conventionally-made wines, I found them heavy on the digestive system.”

The Gravner influence: natural winemaking

The Paraschos’ neighbour was Gravner and his influence on them was marked from the beginning. “Josko Gravner was my father’s age and believed strongly in natural winemaking. To him, this was the only way to make wine, no other way existed.”  Gravner became famous but his thinking and approach has remained unchanged, said Alexis. Evangelos loved the way the natural winemakers grew their vines without pesticides or herbicides, and he loved the wines that were produced from these vines. “With time, it grew into an obsession with skin-contact wines.”

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Paraschos decided to practise organic viticulture right from the start – the grapes were initially grown organically though the wines were produced by conventional methods. The bottlings were small, initially vinified in their own garage and sold directly – there was no space to store the bottles beyond that year’s production. In 2003, they built a new cellar and began experimenting with short maceration on skins and spontaneous fermentation. Today, they produce around 30,000 bottles and 10 labels.

Local grapes rule

With natural winemaking, tight control on quality and yield is essential, says Alexis. “We harvest by hand, yes, but the selection is extremely rigorous. We can’t afford any bad grapes in the winery.” Their seven hectares of vineyard (now 10 ha) is dominated by local white grapes Ribolla Gialla, Friulano (aka Sauvignonasse) and Malvasia Istriana along with Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. They also have 100-year-old Merlot vines which Alexis is particularly passionate about. Merlot is not just any ‘international variety’, he points out, but very much part of the region’s history – Napoleon first introduced it into the region and after World War II it became Gorizia’s main red grape – the only black grape to survive in the region. The vineyards themselves face different aspects – the Alps, the Mediterranean and the plains of eastern Europe – allowing for a variety of grapes and styles of wine to be produced.

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Old vines, ancient soils, perfect terroir

Alexis dives into the region’s difficult history. Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, bordered by Slovenia and Austria, faced devastation first from the phylloxera outbreak in the late 19^th century and then was shredded by bombs during the world wars. As a result, most vineyards were decimated. “Only a few, hidden areas remained intact,” explains Alexis, “So we are very proud of our old vines. In 2001 and 2003 we planted new vines from the old using selection massale – you can see the difference in the yields and sizes of the grapes. Now, 20 years later, our ‘young puppies’ are growing well, showing good balance and acidity.”

Unique to the region and in no small way responsible for the quality of its wine is the mineral-rich soil. Flysch or ‘ponca’ as it is locally known, is typical of the pre-Alpine region: calcareous clay or marl layered with hard sandstone from an age when the land was covered by the ocean.“Our region is also rich in clay and this combination allows perfect drainage (of water) – ideal for skin-contact wines. Every vintage we get ripe tannins and phenolic maturity, so it is possible to macerate all our varieties on skins. The warm nights help grapes ripen fast so if you choose your harvest time, potential alcohol may be 12% to 15%. This region is perfect for viticulture.”

Skin contact adds complexity

Earlier, the harvested grapes were macerated for up to 8 days in open-topped vats before amphorae became commonplace. The wines were matured for 1-2 years in a range of different wooden casks – cherry, acacia, chestnut, Slavonian. Today, oak is the norm. Paraschos introduced amphorae in 2009 for a selection of their grapes, typically Malvasia. For this, “We macerate the grapes on skins for months, even up to a year in amphorae, which are first open, then sealed. Only 1000-2000 bottles are made.”

Skin-contact winemaking is no fad, avers Alexis. “It is here to stay –  it offers only positives. With time, the market will decide what makes sense – including the price – and things will get levelled out in time.”

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He adds, “Orange wine has much more to it than just colour. It is expressive on the palate. It offers body, structure, tannins and complexity of mouthfeel.” (I can vouch for the fact that orange wines are food wines through and through – Ed).

I ask Alexis if he has any favourite food pairings with his wines. He pauses and smiles. “We live in an area where there are so many different cuisines and cultural influences. At home, we have Greek food (Paraschos wines feature Greek lettering and the symbol π (pi) on their labels) – aubergine and lamb stews need rich wines, and orange wines are perfect. With the less-macerated wines (Kai), our Prosciutto di San Daniele, which is a bit salty matches the salinity of the wine. Roast lamb with baked aubergine and tomato works perfectly with orange wine or a macerated Pinot Grigio.” In Scandinavia, a top market for their wines, smoked lamb, traditionally paired with bitter ales, was found to work very well with orange wines, he adds.

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