A grey day brightened by orange at Southbrook Vineyards

Red wine. White wine. Orange wine? The first time a waiter suggested orange wine, I was confused. The second time, I was curious. It was time to investigate. I thought it would be a solid use of my research and policy skills. Or “if I am 100% honest” (to use an expression from my teenager daughter), just good plain fun.

What is orange wine? Orange wine is “skin-on” fermented white wine. The orange hue comes from contact with the skins. In Ontario, “skin fermented white wine” is a relatively new category approved by the VQA, Ontario’s wine authority. What does it taste like? I inquired at my local LCBO if they had any orange wine in stock. The sales clerk gave me a quizzical look. It is not readily available.

So when I was visiting wineries this fall in the Twenty Valley, I was on the look out for orange wine. A quest of sorts. However, after visiting several wineries, the mysterious orange ambrosia was still elusive. The closest I came was at Hidden Bench Winery. Their small batch skin fermented white wine (under the Rachis and Derma label) was sold out mere days before my arrival.

I finally decided one grey winter day to venture beyond the familiar Twenty Valley deeper into the Niagara region. Southbrook Vineyards has a regular supply of natural skin fermented white wine. In fact, their wine maker, Ann Sperling, was behind the request to the VQA for the new category.

The winery is also a member of the somewhereness group, another worthy topic for investigation. As a leader in green initiatives, Southbrook is certified organic and biodynamic. When you approach the winery, there are information signs around the property to learn about their green approaches, such as the large bio-swale filtering stormwater, solar panels that reduce net electricity consumption by 80%, a monarch butterfly waystation so they can lay their eggs, native plants and so much more. I would have lingered longer outside to read more signs but the cold wind was unrelenting. I hastened my tour and took shelter inside. Even on a grey day, the tasting area was surprisingly bright with its large windows overlooking the vineyards. The gold level LEED certified building takes advantage of the sun exposure throughout the day.

I may use the word “research”, but my wine pursuits are not really research. It’s simply me tasting wine (“if I am 100% honest”). But my host at Southbrook, Eleacia, is a serious student of wine. She is studying for her Master in Wine, a prestigious designation. Obviously, she was well versed in wine making techniques. She was also friendly and easy going as she led me through a very enjoyable tasting.

“This is the reason I came to Southbrook” she says swirling, sniffing and smiling at an amber liquid in her glass.

It’s the Anniversary fortified wine. An absolutely intriguing wine, along the lines of a dry sherry, but in its own category. It was an accidental discovery when some forgotten Chardonnay, protected by a nice layer of yeast or flor, was found after aging over 7 years. The slightly syrupy liquid is full of butterscotch and nutty flavours. It is very smooth.

But what about the orange wine?

In her approachable academic way, Eleacia tells me white wines were originally made leaving skins on during fermentation. It is, in fact, an ancient technique. Contact with the skins adds some serious aromatics, in addition to its orange hue. Southbrook’s wine is made with vidal grapes, hand harvested late in the season. It is most definitely aromatic, with lots of ripe fruit, like apple and apricot on the nose, but also floral and a bit dusty. She also suggested it is reminiscent of sour beer or orange pekoe tea. Each sip of this unique wine uncovers more flavours. The wine is bottled with the sediment from the aging process (called lees). If you shake the bottle, it is cloudy. This might scare people off, but it’s all good.

My quest was successful. I tasted orange wine. For good measure, I purchased a bottle to take home. Homework of sorts.

Eleacia was also full of great suggestions for other wineries in the neighbourhood to continue my investigation. She thoughtfully circled several recommendations on my map.

Like a good student, I followed her guidance.