8 best orange wines to raise a glass to this summer

Forget funky, unpalatable and highly acidic drinks that once masqueraded as wines when orange vino first hit the shelves. It's moved on to become an exciting style that's well worth getting to know, and we’ve been busy rounding up the best orange wines from across the globe.

Skin-contact wines have been having a moment for some time now, though orange wines (also known as amber and skin-contact wines) have the oldest viticulture history in the world – Georgians have been fermenting such wine in clay pots (known as qvevri) underground for more than 8,000 years.

More recently, the category has injected some fun back into the world of wine – think artistic labels with lots of bright colours or simplistic stripped-back designs. Making them even more appealing is the fact orange wines are also extremely food-friendly . Thanks to big and bold flavour profiles, the best orange wines can match foods often hard to pair with vino, such as curries, barbecued meat and umami flavours.

What's really pleasing to see is how strong UK winemakers are in this category, with our list including two producers from the UK who are making some really standout vinos. They've quickly become some of our favourite wines, and not just in the orange wine or British wine categories, either.

Though some of these wines are more expensive than your average plonk, they're often made in small batches by independent producers. Keep scrolling to find out more about our pick of the best orange wines that are worth raising a glass to.

How we tested

We looked for a range of expressions from across the world’s best wine-producing regions, ranging from Georgia (the home of orange wine) to Wales, Italy and Romania.

We also wanted to include the breadth of different wines, from accessible styles for beginners to the more experimental and exciting. Every wine in our line-up has been taste-tested with fellow wine drinkers, with flavour, body and value all being taken into consideration.

The best orange wines for 2024 are:

• Best orange wine overall – Brook House Farm orange wine: £25, Littlepomona.com
• Best budget option – Cramele Recas Solara orange wine: £10.99, Adnams.co.uk
• Best South African wine – Mother Rock brutal! chenin blanc: £24.50, Beershophq.uk
• Best French wine – Domaine Le Soula la maceration du Soula blanc No 19 orange wine: £41.50, Fortnumandmason.com

Brook House Farm, orange wine

Cramele Recas Solara orange wine

Ancre Hill Estate orange wine

Mother Rock brutal! chenin blanc

Villa Melnik, orange wine

Mauricio Gonzalez Carreño moscatel tinaja

Domaine Le Soula, la maceration du soula blanc No 19 orange wine

New Theory white lies

The verdict: Orange wines