How to serve orange wine: Ask Decanter

Should orange wine be chilled or served a little warmer?

How to serve orange wine

Rod Bridge, Preston, Lancashire, asks: I usually serve white wines chilled, sparkling wines a little cooler, and red wines at room temperature. But what about orange wines?

Simon Woolf, for Decanter, replies: I often compare orange wines structurally to light northern Italian reds such as Valpolicella or Bardolino. On a summer’s day they can be delicious lightly chilled, but for a mature example you should enjoy them a little warmer. It’s partly down to wine style and your own personal preference.

In search of lighter reds – ask Decanter

For a heavier, more tannic orange wine, such as one made by Radikon or Gravner, serve it close to room temperature to bring out all the flavour and complexity. Taste it at 12°C-14°C, and then warm it up a bit more if it doesn’t seem expressive. Lighter orange wines made with only a few days skin contact can be drunk cooler – 10°C-12°C perhaps.

Orange wines explained
Read more notes and queries every month in Decanter magazine. Subscribe to the latest issue here
Got a question for Decanter’s experts? Email us: editor@decanter.com