Should Orange Wine Be Chilled? (Full Guide)

Orange wines, otherwise known as amber or skin contact wines depending on who you speak to, are all the rage at the moment.

One of the oldest styles of winemaking, orange wine is much more than a fad, but how should orange wine be served?

What is orange wine’s ideal serving temperature?

Listen to this post here:

Should Orange Wine Be Chilled?

Yes, orange wine should be chilled, the best temperature to serve Orange Wine is slightly below room temperature, between 50–57°F or 10-14°C. While the best temperature to store orange wine is 11°C and 15℃ (51–59°F).

Orange wines, just like bold styles of Rosé, should be chilled before serving.

The best way to do this is by using a wine fridge or other refrigerator.

Try not to serve your orange wines too cold or too warm, as extreme temperatures either way can have a huge impact on the flavour of the orange wine. 

So once your orange wine has reached your preferred temperature and you’re ready to serve, try and use a wine cooler to help maintain that temperature.

For more information on how wine coolers can help you serve your wine, talk to us at Expert Wine Storage.

So what are some styles of orange wine that you may come across and what temperature should those wines be served?

3 Popular Styles of Orange Wine and Their Ideal Serving Temperature:

• Georgian Orange Wine - Georgia is the home of orange wine and is a country with a rich history of winemaking, serve orange wines from this region between (50–57°F or 10-14°C)

• Skin Contact Pinot Gris - Light and aromatic, the floral nature of Pinot Gris really comes into its own when a period of skin contact is used in the winemaking process. This lighter, more perfumed style can be served a little cooler (49–55°F or 9-13°C)

• Skin Contact Ortega - A grape growing in popularity in both British winemaking and orange winemaking, treat this style like a lighter red when it comes to serving temperatures. (50–57°F or 10-14°C)

What are the best storage temperatures for Orange Wine?

The best temperature to store orange wine is between 11°C and 15℃ (51–59°F).

Try and keep your storage location of choice as consistent as possible. 

This involves:

• Maintaining a good level of humidity

• Avoiding direct sunlight

• Keeping bottles a good distance from household appliances that emit vibrations, such as a dishwasher or washing machine 

• If you don’t have a wine cellar, your garage or kitchen pantry is often a good place to store your orange wine

But can orange wine go in the fridge?

Should You Put Orange Wine In The Fridge?

Absolutely, when it comes to getting your orange wine ready to serve you can place it in the fridge to reach the required temperature.

Ideally, your orange wine should be chilled down to 50–57°F or 10-14°C before serving. 

If you leave your orange wine in a domestic fridge for too long and it becomes too cold for your liking, don’t worry. 

Simply remove the bottle from the fridge and give it time to warm up a little.

However, If you want to make sure that you are consistently serving your orange wine at the best temperature possible you may want to consider investing in a specialised wine refrigerator.

For more information on how wine fridges can help you chill your wine, click here. 

So how long should you put your orange wine in the fridge? 

How Long Should You Chill Orange Wine for?

If you have a specialist wine fridge the conditions will have been designed to look after your wine, and in this instance orange wine can go in a wine fridge for a longer period of time.

Meaning you can go about your day without worrying about wine serving temperatures.

However, if you have a domestic refrigerator the drier conditions may damage any corks, so it’s best to store your orange wine elsewhere.

Just be sure to place the wine in the fridge 1 hour before serving and you’ll reach a lovely chilled temperature for your bottles with ease.

Here are some of our top tips on serving orange wine:

Five Tips for Serving Orange Wine:

• Treat orange wine like a light red and serve between 50–57°F or 10-14°C.

• Lighter styles of orange wine, such as those made with the aromatic Pinot Gris, can be served a little cooler, around 49–55°F or 9-13°C.

• Wine coolers can be used to help maintain your orange wine’s temperature in between serving.

• You don’t have to keep your orange wine in the fridge long term.

• Somewhere like a wine cellar or kitchen pantry will work just as well.

• Store your orange wine at cellar temperatures, between 11°C and 15℃ (51–59°F).

Before You Go...

We hope you enjoyed our article on whether orange wine should be chilled.

Do you need to know how to chill red wines correctly?

Read our next article about chilling red wines correctly here...

Should Red Wine Be Chilled? (Full Guide)

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk

Learn more about other Wine Types here.

You can also shop new wine coolers online at Expert Wine Storage