Orange Man on a Mission: a Clear-Eyed

70 |THEWORLD OFFINEWINE |ISSUE 61 |2018 I REVIEWED BY $35 /£30 Published by Interlink Pub Group Simon JWoolf Orange Wine Learned toLove How theWorld Amber Revolution: phenomenon in question—while phenomenon in question—while to comefirst.Bythat time,the vinous the bitofhisownwinemakingthat had with winemakers, even andeventually the research, tastings,anddiscussions in thecourseofwhichherecounts could offer readers that explanation, before Woolf felt confidentthat he uncharted territory. It tooksixyears though, that thismeantenteringlargely smelled sodifferent.” He realized, quickly about, [and]whytheylooked, tastedand “[to] explainwhat the[se]wineswere the time)withamission,”Woolf writes, red wine.“Ireturned home(London, at fermenting ofwhitegrapes asifmaking my-life revelation, helearned, wasthe root ofthiswhere-have-you-been-all- like the“release [ofa]life force.” The like ashaftofsunlightanditsflavours The wine’s aromas, herelates, hithim tinged withanelectricpinkafterglow.” “a luminousamberliquid,seemingly as hiseyesadjusted,heglimpsed of alimestonecave nearTrieste. But obscured bythesurrounding darkness recounts inhisnewbook,wasliterally he hadjustbeenhanded,asvividly of fermented grape juice.”Theglass under-appreciated nooksandcrannies obscure, the lesser known,thewilfully Claret, dedicated to“celebrat[ing] the DAVID SCHILDKNECHT nouveau /liquidassetspreview /review A clear-eyed, passionate view A clear-eyed,passionate view in winejournalism,TheMorning just launchedhisweb-baseddebut t was2011,andSimonWoolf had Orange man on a mission: Orange manonamission: of a vinous phenomenon of avinousphenomenon

taken totheword “revolution” asabit head-banging. Exception mightbe when asked, reflects considerable two thirds ofAmberRevolution. titledchaptersthat occupy the 11cleverly and thosethemesdominate sevenof surrounding itsrecent re-emergence, the serendipitous circumstances wine were itsancientoriginsand remained mostobscure aboutorange one’s delightmore thanWoolf’s. What and crannies ofthewineworld,tono inobscurelonger residednooks solely arguably stillunderappreciated—no —including one devotedexclusively to side-bars throughout AmberRevolution that appear as wine methodology but thelucidexplanations of orange- on soundgrounds statistically speaking, abhorrence ofsulfur. That association is wine,” radical non-interventionism, and fermented whitegrapes with“natural surrounds theassociation ofskin- of misunderstandingandsuspicion To besure, aconsiderable source discussion describedinthebook. Woolf’s invitation toatastingand Johnson, accepted whosubsequently that couldhavebeensaid ofHugh much misunderstanding.At onepoint, often hadlittledirect experienceand mind that thosedisparaging orange wine to connotelackofseriousness,never genre withasingleword that seemed dismiss orspitouttheirdisgustfor the around—also enableddetractors to in sympathetic quartersfor rallying of “orange”—while itproved useful (or of skin-fermented winefrom white capturesdescription really theconcept or indeednoone-eventwo-word Unfortunately, nocolor-descriptor a bookonwineinthewrong company. revolution as“orange” wasliabletoland world’s collectivememory, qualifyinga upheaval of2004–05wasstillvividinthe on it.Yet, aslongUkraine’s political of hyperbole,butWoolf wasdeadset gris) grapes. Andthebaldsimplicity The book’s title,asWoolf explains

remarkable coincidence. remarkable coincidence. just asastroke offortune butasatruly mediated byGravner isrevealed not transmission oforange-wine tradition Slovenia?” In light ofhisanswer, the with Friuli-Venezia Giuliaandwestern “What linkstherepublic ofGeorgia critical toaddressing Woolf’s question, appreciation ofthewines;theyare also likelyonly toenhanceone’s eventual the aforementioned detailsare not are apttobecomeengrossed. Moreover, an adeptstory-tellerthat mostreaders Amber Revolution.ButWoolf issuch begin wanderingat certainpointsin religious identity, thenyoureyesmay Slovenian andGeorgian nationalism or World Wars andaColdWar—about fascist andcommunistoppression, two manmade—including theimpactsof disasters natural and(especially) aren’t interesting inreading about to viticulture andvinification. If you no meansare thedetailsallspecific initstitle—andby or “thestoryof” in awinebookthat doesn’t have“history” Woolf delvesmaywellbeunprecedented the wealthofhistorical detailintowhich winemaking movementsarise.In fact, techniques, grower alliances,and background against whichwinegrowing emphasizedisthehistorical Equally Behind theGreat Awakening biographical andpsychological detail. wine saga beingtreated inconsiderable many significant playersintheorange- is emphasizedagain andagain, eachof as welltoregional self-identification, evolution ofviticulture andwinemaking, The centrality ofhumanemotiontothe turn ofeventsinthelife ofJoško Gravner. Woolf’s rivetingaccountofsomeseminal tiedtothenextby thereby suspensefully wine, eachofthesesectionsprefaced and on theinternational impactoforange then onGeorgia, touching andfinally first onFriuli (andadjacentSlovenia), Woolf’s chronological accountsfocused these constituteasubstantialshare of unimportant oruninteresting. In fact, or renaissance oforange wineare have accompaniedtheemergence ideals, orancillarytechniquesthat ideological underpinnings,aesthetic aesthetic from theideological. coincidental, andthescientificaswell disentangle theessentialfrom themerely refuting commonmisconceptions—help That isnotat alltosay that the

Photography courtesy of Simon Woolf though notascriticisms, sinceWoolf worthnoting, Revolution are especially through Kickstarter. as aself-publication that wasfunded appeared initspresentinitially form absence oferrata, seeing that hisbook forcommended personally thevirtual index. Woolf shouldalsobehighly capped byathorough andwell-structured laid-out—like therest ofthebook—and dominating. well Theseare visually with Italy andGeorgia predictably producers” organized bynationality, thumbnail descriptionsof“recommended is taken upwithconcisebutevocative to skin-fermentation. of specificwhite(orgris)grape varieties delveintotheadaptability insightfully of orange wine.He does,however, to explore thesite-specificdimensions of “terroir expression,” Woolf doeslittle there isfrequent mentioninthisbook of placeandhumancharacter. While they doafinejobinconveyingsense downright duplicative, like Woolf’s prose instances where theseillustrations are emergence oforange wine.Yet evenin also thepastseveral decades inthe(re-) Slovenian, andGeorgian historybut the pasthundred orsoyearsofFriulian, which are historical, chartingnotjust byRyanOpaz,butmanyof recently the majorityofwhichwere taken withphotographs, book isitsprofligacy Two omissionsfrom Amber The finalthird ofAmberRevolution Another unusualfeature ofthis

seriousness oreven eventualfame. long-standing, butbynomeansprecludes just onesuchwinecan become not only though, that agrower’s commitmentto region. It shouldgowithoutsaying, “Irden,” bothfrom thesmallWagram Bernard Ott’s “Qvevre” andToni Söllner’s are one-of-a-kindfor theirproducers: skin-fermented whitesofAustria that promising the best-known,extremely such exceptions, notevenfor twoof for aprofile, Woolf makes any hardly it isamacerated marvel,that qualifies” makesa wineryonly onewhitewine,but on hiswebsite.)Despitecaveat “that if —and Woolf hassinceprofiled thelatter standard whooccurred tothisreviewer additional French growers meetingthat l’Ecu andMathieu Deisswere theonly proportion.” (Fred Niger at Domainede with maceration orat leastasubstantial making theirentire range ofwhitewines growersto profile whoare solely “either attends to Woolf’s self-imposed limitation wine—is unsurprisingprovided one considerable buzzsurrounding orange —a countrywhere there iscertainly mere halfdozengrowers from France their portfolios. Andtheinclusionofa oneortwoorange with only winesin fold ifWoolf were tohaveincludedthose would havetomultipliedseveral- growers profiled inhisbook,for example, as ithappens).ThenumberofAustrian hold totalpages toamodestlimit(300, desire tokeep afocused narrative and acknowledgesboth,citinghis explicitly

“revolution” maywellbenoexaggeration. For thisGreat Awakening, theword entertainment andtransmitting terroir. extraction availablefor broadcasting and relish thefull bandwidthofphenolic Wine growers are comingtorecognize ambrés oftheoriginal,oxidative sort.) is evenhopefor revived interest invins declining 20thcentury. (Perhaps there precedent, butfell from fashion inthe that shares orange wine’s historical a littlepastthepointofpink—agenre in pigmentingorare macerated only of blackgrapes that are shy inherently called “almost-red” wines—products emerging appeal,ofwhat mightbe acceptance, indeedconsiderable that alsoencompassesincreasing profound implications. Theyfitapattern mainstream growers, havepotentially into therepertoire of otherwise of white-skinfermentative extraction dominated byred, white,orrosé, andthat into portfolios stilloverwhelmingly white grapes. paid full-fledgedskin-fermentation of the attention andgradual respect being cheek becalled “orange light”isdueto of winesthat mightwithtongue-in- in thedimpast,recent emergence clear that, notwithstandingprecedents wealth ofanecdotalevidencemake wine as‘orange.’” Buttiminganda disclaimer to“pleasedon’t thinkofthis employment oftencomeswithagrower’s begun practicing them.Amusingly, their recently with growers whohaveonly the expression “experimental,”even it isalmostmisleadinganymore touse they havebecomesowidespread that potential ofsuchapproaches. And points totheprofoundly delicious ferment. Awealthofvinousevidence of crushedorwholeberriesinone’s blending; ortothelimitedinclusion brief skincontact;tolotsdestinedfor white grapes isconfinedtoextremely whose fermentative extraction from significant consideration ofgrowers to craft orange wines,Woolf alsoomits diversity oftechniquebeingemployed become iconsoftheirrespective genres. prevented thewinesinquestionfrom share ofestate production hasnot single whitewineconstitutingatiny Romanée-Conti eachvinifiesjusta Château Rayas,andDomainedela After all,thefact that Clos Rougeard, THE WORLD OFFINEWINE|ISSUE 61 |2018 | Both theinfiltration oforange wines Despite emphasizingtheenormous

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