what is skin contact wine

Skin-contact wine, also known as orange wine, is a type of wine made from white wine grapes where the grape skins are not removed, as in typical white wine production, and stay in contact with the juice for days or even months. This contrasts with conventional white wine production, which involves crushing the grapes and quickly moving the juice off the skins into the fermentation vessel. The skins contain color pigment, phenols, and tannins that would normally be considered undesirable for white wines, while for red wines, skin contact and maceration is a vital part of the winemaking process that gives red wine its color, flavor, and texture. Depending on how long the juice ferments with the skins, skin-contact wines can range in color from golden-straw yellow to vibrant amber to orange. Skin-contact whites have exceptional potential for wine and food pairings, occupying a middle ground between the orchard fruit flavor of white wine and the texture and intensity of red wine.