Serving Orange Wine: How to Enjoy it at its Best

Orange wine sits somewhere between white and red, in colour, texture, and spirit. It’s not just about how it looks, but how it feels: textured, complex, and alive.

Serving orange wine is about finding balance, freshness meets texture, and patience meets pleasure.

Temperature & Glassware

• Serve slightly chilled, around 12-14 °C, cooler than full reds, a bit warmer than typical whites.

• Use a white wine or Burgundy-style glass to allow aromas to open, while capturing the wine’s structure.

• Avoid very cold settings: if it’s too cold, the wine hides its layers; it can even taste bitter. Too warm, it loses freshness and balance.

• Tip: The full body styles (like Sorvo) often benefit from aeration or decanting.

Approach & Mindset

• Remember, Orange wine is not meant to be “perfect”; it is meant to be as it is.

• Sip slowly. Let it evolve in your glass. Allow it to surprise you.

• Think of texture, tannin, and body as part of the experience, not flaws to be avoided.

Food Pairing: Complex & Surprising Matches

Orange wine’s strength is its versatility. Because of its texture, acidity, phenolics (from skin contact), and flavour complexity, it can pair beautifully with foods that often break other wines.

Here are some advanced pairing ideas drawn from wine experts and tasting experience:

1. Spiced & Aromatic Cuisines
   Curries (Kashmir, Kerala), Moroccan tagines, and Middle Eastern dishes with saffron, cumin, or cinnamon. Orange wines can handle spice and aromatic complexity.

2. Grilled & Roasted Meats / Vegetables
   Grilled chicken with BBQ glaze, roasted lamb, and vegetables like eggplant or mushrooms.

3. Fermented / Umami / Bold Flavours
   Kimchi, pickles, aged cheeses, shellfish, and even tomato-based, garlic dishes. The tannin and phenolic grip help orange wine stand up to umami and fermented flavours.

4. Cheese & Charcuterie
   Strong cheeses, aged goat or sheep cheese, and mixed charcuterie plates. Orange wines can be the middle ground that bridges strong, diverse flavours.

5. Seafood & Earthy Dishes
   Oysters, grilled octopus, shellfish, or fish with herbs and citrus. Also, root vegetables, wild rice, and vegetarian fare with nuts or mushrooms.

Remember, the pairing potential depends on how “skin-contacted” the wine is, how long it remained on skins, and whether stems or oak were involved. Lighter maceration styles lean toward delicate pairings (seafood, vegetables), while more extended contact wines can pair well with bold dishes.

At Sorvo, we like to think of it as a wine that invites conversation as much as it inspires it. Next time you see orange wine on the list, be curious; it might just become your new favourite. 😉

Savor the sip, Zeynep / Lagos Jan’26