Pro tip: Rethinking texture in your notes for orange wines

My local wine bar has started pouring way more skin-contact whites, and my standard flavor descriptors just weren't cutting it. I started leading my notes with mouthfeel and grip details instead of fruit, and it honestly makes the wine's profile click. Do you focus on texture first when tasting these less conventional styles?

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phoenix_lopez7mo ago

Totally agree, shifting to texture first is key for those wines. Read an interview with a winemaker in Garagiste who said he thinks about orange wines like loose-leaf tea, focusing on tannic structure and infusion texture rather than flavor notes. That framing helped me distinguish between the grippy, almost chewed apricot skin feel of a Georgian qvevri wine and the smoother, slippery texture of a Friulian ramato. Describing the mouthfeel as 'linen versus burlap' can say more about the winemaking than listing stone fruits ever could. Do you find certain textures point you towards specific regions or techniques?

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willow_ellis97mo ago

Admit my palate calls everything burlap, lmao.

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baker.sarah7mo ago

Could Slovenian amphora wines' chalky texture explain @willow_ellis9's burlap note, per that Decanter article?

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