The Orange Wine Festival has established itself as a major event in the wine world, promoting macerated white wines, known as “orange wines.” These wines, obtained from white grapes using a winemaking technique similar to that of red wines, have an intense golden color and a complex aromatic profile, often enriched with herbaceous and fruity notes.

Although the term “orange wines” is relatively new, many of them preserve ancient winemaking traditions that embrace authenticity and sustainability in an increasingly industrial world. In Georgia, for example, winemaking in clay amphorae buried in the ground is a practice rooted in history and a cultural pride of the country.

The production of this type of wine is spreading mainly in the Northern Adriatic areas of Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. However, since this category is not tied to the type of vine but to the process of processing the grapes, it is now being produced in almost all traditional wine regions of Europe, including other regions of Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Serbia. Additionally, some producers are expanding into other wine regions outside of Europe, such as New Zealand and the United States.

For over a decade, the Orange Wine Festival has aimed to celebrate these wines, highlighting their history and production process. Promoted in Isola, thanks in particular to the commitment of the Zaro family, this event has also spread abroad, becoming a meeting point not only for wine connoisseurs, but also for winemakers, farmers, restaurateurs and enthusiasts from all over the world.

“If tastes and facets are up to the public,” said Matej Zaro, one of the event’s organizers, “what unites all the exhibitors at the event is their way of working, which, with organic, biodynamic or natural methods, supports the philosophy of minimal intervention in the vineyard.” After the success achieved at the recent Vinitaly fair, the Festival returned to its hometown, hosting more than 60 wineries from eight countries, as well as 15 producers of traditional gastronomic delicacies, in Piazza Manzioli, in the palace of the same name and in the church of Santa Maria d'Alieto.

Welcoming the numerous participants and representatives of the institutions was Agnese Babič, deputy mayor and cultural coordinator of the CAN of Isola, which, together with the Parish and the Municipality, is a partner of the event. “This Festival is a witness to the deep bond that unites man to the earth, and is therefore a true ode to nature”, declared the president of the local CAN, Vita Valenti. A connection that was reiterated by the parish priest Janez Kobal, who imparted his blessing to the wines present, “but also to all the vineyards, the cellars and all the people who with their hard work safeguard the gift of God”.

After the symbolic cutting of the inaugural ribbon, guests were able to delve into the fascinating history of over 240 types of wine that, each with its own story and aroma, tell the story of those who produced them with art and effort.

Mariangela Pizziolo
Source: The Voice of the People – 29/04/2024