Orange Wine Assyrtiko Vidiano 2024 Review

Orange wine is one of those things you hear about before you really understand it. I’ve seen it mentioned more and more over the last couple of years in more of a fashion conscious sense, however when you look back at history and in particular read a book by someone like Oz Clarke, its a wine style that pretty much started it all.

Orange wine is a white wine made in the same way as red wine, i.e. skins and all.

The colour alone tells you that. It sits somewhere between a white and a light red, a proper amber tone that looks far more appetising than the reputation orange wine sometimes gets. It looks like there’s going to be something going on here, and thankfully that carries through.

Tasting Notes

On the nose it’s very clean and surprisingly approachable. Straight away I’m getting apricot, quite pure as well, backed up by a bit of orange peel which gives it a lift. It doesn’t dive into that overly funky, natural wine territory that can put people off. It feels balanced before you’ve even taken a sip.

In the glass it follows through nicely. The apricot becomes more intense, almost into apricot jam, which gives it a bit of weight and makes it feel satisfying rather than thin. What stands out most though is the texture. There’s a real grip to it, that slightly drying, tea-like tannin you only really get from skin contact wines.

That texture is what changes everything. It takes this out of the interesting white wine category and pushes it towards something that behaves more like a light red. You’re not just tasting fruit, you’re feeling the structure as well.

There’s also a savoury edge running through it, something like stalks or leaf, which adds a bit of complexity and stops it from becoming one note. It keeps your attention and makes you go back in for another sip to work it out.

The finish is solid. It holds on well enough with that mix of fruit and grip, even if it doesn’t quite stretch out into that long, layered territory you get from more serious bottles.

What This Wine Taught Me

This is where it gets interesting.

Going into this, I probably would have said I’m drawn more towards structured reds, wines with depth and presence. What this shows is that it’s not necessarily about colour or even style, it’s about texture and structure.

This is essentially a white wine made like a red, and that’s why it works. You’ve got the freshness and fruit of a white, but with tannin and grip layered on top. It hits some of the same notes that I enjoy in bigger wines, just in a completely different way.

It also made me realise why orange wine has stuck around for thousands of years. This isn’t a modern trend. This style dates back to Georgia, where wines were fermented on skins in clay vessels long before stainless steel tanks and temperature control existed. What we’re seeing now is more of a rediscovery than a reinvention.

Food Pairing

This is where the wine really comes into its own.

The tannin and texture are crying out for food. Something like a roast pork baguette would be ideal. The fat from the pork would soften the grip of the wine, while the fruit complements it nicely. Cheese would also work well, especially something with a bit of richness to it.

It’s one of those bottles that becomes better the moment you put it alongside the right dish.

Verdict

This is a very solid bottle and, if I’m being honest, it exceeded expectations.

It’s not trying to be overly clever or push boundaries too far. Instead it gives you a clean, well balanced introduction to orange wine with enough texture and character to keep things interesting.

It doesn’t quite reach that next level of depth or complexity that you get from top producers, and it’s probably not something you’d sit and analyse for hours. But that’s not really the point here. What it does do is deliver a genuinely enjoyable and slightly different drinking experience, and it does it at a price that makes it easy to go back to.

More importantly, it opens the door. If this is what entry-level orange wine looks like, then there’s clearly a lot more to explore in this space.