Les Grands Vins Oranges: rare, high-end wines

Grands Vins Oranges: the pleasure of the aromas of a prestigious wine

A great wine is a wine that affects the sensitive part of the Being. It gives the taster shivers down his spine, surprised by so many emotions. The Grands Vins Oranges are among those prestigious wines that touch something timeless, immeasurable, making the heart palpitate.

The aromas of a Great Orange Wine

Not only does its bright orange color leave no one indifferent. But tasting a Grand Vin Orange at maturity is a good way to ensure a very good experience. Its fresh, fruity and floral aromas are primary aromas that reveal secondary and tertiary aromas over time.

Thus, perfumes with spicy and fruity notes of floral fragrances give way to a harmonious bouquet with citrus zest, offering atypical aromas than those detected in classic wines.

The character of the white grape varieties of the Grands Vins Oranges

Each wine region has its own preferred grape varieties for the production of its orange wines. At Gérard Bertrand , the precious grape varieties of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Mauzac, Muscat, Roussanne, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc and Colombard each have their own character.

It is therefore a question of understanding the typicality of each one and also their growth, as well as their evolution according to each of the vintages. Everything is carefully selected to obtain prestigious blends intended for a high-end orange wine .

Consideration of the terroir of high-end rare wines

A Grand Vin Orange is the result of ancestral know-how. Where the terroir has its full expression. The roots of the vines feed on the complex soils rich in minerals providing the right nutrients to the grape berries.

Also, at Gérard Bertrand, our Grands Vins Oranges are produced on protected soils to preserve the fauna and flora while reinforcing the noble intrinsic identity of our Languedoc-Roussillon terroirs. So, the climate, geology and exposure of the vines enrich the aromatic complexity of our high-end orange wines

Grands Vins Oranges: the pleasure of savoring an exceptional wine

A Grand Vin Orange stands out from the oenological constraints by its grace and magic. This kind of wine is remembered for life. It transgresses our senses and our memories. Even more so when you are a professional taster. It disconcerts, by the offering of its very frank aromas on the nose.

And its chiseled flavors , both raw and cuddly, in the mouth which are sewn by the relief of the tannins . It is the kind of wine that makes all the cells of our body travel to a very distant past.

Orange wine: a macerated white wine

While orange wine is produced with white grape varieties , it is vinified like a red wine. Be careful, it is not to be compared with a white wine , nor a red wine and even less with a rosé wine . Orange wine has the particularity of undergoing skin maceration during its vinification like red wines.

Thus, the phenolic compounds of white grapes are better extracted, releasing coloring matter and tannins contained in the skins of the grape berries. Some cellar masters choose not to push this maceration too far in order to preserve a little acidity.

In this case, the fermentation process begins with whole bunches of grapes, destemmed or not, just like the vinification of red wine. Orange wine can easily be produced without sulfites.

Great Orange Wines: aging in barrels and amphorae

From one year to the next, the climatic conditions of the vintage are different. Which shapes the development of the grape. To make a Grand Vin Orange , the vintage counts. The healthier the grapes, the better the quality of the orange wine. Once fermentation is complete, some orange wine producers decide to push the maceration even further.

While others prefer to press the musts halfway through fermentation and transfer them to barrels and amphorae to be aged naturally . This is the case of our Biodynamic Cuvée Villa Soleilla . So, our prestigious orange wine continues its aging in amphorae for 8 months until it is bottled.

The very fine porosity of the terracotta amphora provides regular oxygenation and rounds out the tannins. In addition, orange wines are called natural , meaning that no oenological products are added, not even sulfites. Indeed, the extraction of polyphenols from the skin naturally protects the wine from oxidation.

Great Orange Wines and luxury food and wine pairings

The rarity and quality of the Grands Vins Oranges raise questions about their tasting. Any occasion is good to uncork a bottle of orange wine to please yourself and your guests. That said, before tasting Grands Vins Oranges , a theoretical introduction to the method of producing this type of wine is recommended. These rare quality wines are complex. Even though orange wine goes wonderfully with dishes with pronounced flavors, the powerful aromatic precursors it contains release a range of notes of lime blossom, citrus fruits, apples, spices, tea, honey on herbaceous fragrances mixed with toast.

● So that it goes divinely with caviar for absolute luxury without risking distorting the delicate aromas of the caviar, while deploying in a very pleasant bitterness, a hint of salinity.

For this luxury food and wine pairing , the 2021 vintage of our Grand Vin Orange Villa Soleilla is excellent.

● Other tasty pairings on a Mediterranean octopus carpaccio with citrus fruits or on a skate wing with pepper and saffron sauce will reveal very complex flavors with exceptional persistence.

● For an ode to the sweetness of Italian cuisine , black truffle ham and truffle spaghetti are enhanced by the 2020 Villa Soleilla vintage.

● On the cheese side , orange wines shine since they are highly recommended with comté, parmesan, salers and even mimolette. However, with a raw milk goat cheese, the pairing is absolutely splendid.

These wines are built on straightness and finesse, drawing a low acidity and delicately present tannins, benefiting from good aging potential.