What is Orange Wine?

What is Orange Wine?

This is NOT a whisky review of the Ballechin Orange Wine Cask Finish.

It is a short article to pre-empt any questions that I’m bound to get sooner or later regarding the kashrus status of Edradour’s Ballechin Orange Wine Cask release.

“Orange Wine” is a term that is very confusing (and some would argue, misleading) as it actually refers to two completely different types of wine.

It’s Not Made from Oranges!

Something I need to explain straight away is that unlike Pomegranate Wine which is made exclusively from fermented pomegranate juice or Blackberry/Blackcurrant Wine made from the juice of the berry, Orange Wine (whichever of the two definitions you use), is NOT made from oranges!

If you Google the term, it will tell you that Orange Wine refers to an orange-coloured Rose or Blush style grape wine. The orang-y colour is produced by allowing the grapes to come into contact with the grape skins during the fermentation process. (No actual oranges are used in the process).

The current popular use of the term is in fact only a few years old, no doubt conjured up in some Marketing room to make it sound like a new and exciting type of wine. It remains a hot controversial issue and has left quite a few traditional wine experts rather irritated for two reasons:

1. Because many people think that it’s actually made from oranges.

2. Because there is already a type of traditional Spanish Wine that in English, has been called “Orange Wine” for well over a hundred years.

Vino Naranja

Traditional Spanish Orange Wine is simply a direct translation of the name used in Spain, i.e., “Vino Naranja”, and refers to a type of sweet Fortified Wine, similar to PX Sherry or Madeira, made in the Condado de Huelva region of Andalusia.

It’s called Orange Wine because as part of the grape fermentation process, a large quantity of orange peel (previously soaked in brandy) is added to the grapes fermenting in the tank. The orange peel flavoured wine is then “fortified” with grape brandy (in a similar way to how Sherry is made). In addition to yeast, a concentrated grape jelly "must" or "Arrope" is also added, before being matured using the traditional Spanish "Solera system” process.

Which Type Orange Wine Has Been Used in The Ballechin Single Malt Whisky?

The Cask type used for the second stage of aging of this Ballechin Peated Single Malt Whisky is stated on the label as being a “Huelva Orange Wine Cask Finish”, obviously referring to Vino Naranja Fortified Wine. The label further states that these casks are First-Fill Hogsheads, which means that they are 250 Litre casks which previously held Vino Naranja.

So, in conclusion, this Edradour Ballechin Single Malt Whisky has been finished in fresh First-Fill casks that previously contained Stam Yeinam and as a result (as far as I understand), is not approved by the major Kashrus organisations.