(Harpers) - “Orange is not the new rosé,” says Doug Wregg at Les Caves de Pyrene. “It would be more accurate to say it’s the new red.” 

Orange wine has been dubbed the “wine of the summer” not only by those in the trade but in consumer-facing publications including the Telegraph last week.

But Wregg insists that misconceptions still abound around this eye-catching wine.

The first is around how it’s made.

“The Telegraph and others have been comparing it to rosé, but there are very few natural rosés. Orange wines are really substantial. They’re made like reds, with long maceration on the skins, so they’re well protected against oxidation, for example. Saying they’re the new red - that would be more accurate.”

The second misconception is the newness of orange wine.

An 8,000-year-old phenomenon, orange wine was resurrected by Italian winemaker Josko Gravner and Stanislao Radikon after visiting Georgia in the late eighties.

Traditionally made with long maceration on the skins using clay pots, they have been known in the trade for decades as “skin-contact wines”.

“‘Orange wine’ has been around for 8,000 years and no one batted an eyelid,” Wregg explained. “But it’s become popular in the last few years because someone’s given it the name ‘orange’.” 

“In actuality ‘orange wine’ can be anything from a golden pink to a deep, burnt amber. It’s very visual. It’s a wine that is drunk with the eyes.”