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Orange Wine Masters

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The Global Orange Wine Masters 2026 suggests that orange wine is becoming a more technically accomplished and refined category. Judges found no obvious technical faults, including unwanted oxidation, which has historically affected some skin-contact wines. The main weakness was excessive astringency. Several wines extracted so much phenolic material from the grape skins that tannin and bitterness overwhelmed the fruit.

The best wines achieved the same sort of balance expected of fine red or white wine, combining fruit, acidity, texture, tannin and, where relevant, oak without any one component dominating.

Gérard Bertrand was the standout producer. They won three Gold medals and, for the third consecutive year, the competition’s Grand Master title. The £100+ Villa Soleilla 2024, made from Viognier, Roussanne and Vermentino at Château l’Hospitalet in La Clape, was judged the competition’s top wine.

In total, there were 27 unique medal-winning wines: one Grand Master, one Master, six Golds, 14 Silvers and five Bronzes.

AwardProducerWineVintageRegion / CountryPrice
Grand MasterGérard BertrandVilla Soleilla2024Languedoc-Roussillon, France£100+
MasterThe Drift EstateMarmalade Invader2024Western Cape, South Africa£30–£50
GoldGérard BertrandFrench Cancan OrangeNVLanguedoc-Roussillon, France£20–£30
GoldGérard BertrandNaturae Orange2025Languedoc-Roussillon, FranceUnder £10
GoldGérard BertrandOrange Gold2024Languedoc-Roussillon, France£10–£15
GoldSchiefer.purWelschriesling Weisser Schiefer ‘M’2015Weinland, Austria£20–£30
GoldAttis Bodegas y ViñedosSitta Doliola2019Galicia, Spain£30–£50
GoldSusana Balbo WinesLimited Edition Blanco de Raíz Skin Contact2023Valle de Uco, Argentina£70–£100
SilverGérard BertrandGenora2024Languedoc-Roussillon, France£10–£15
SilverHammeken CellarsNanit Orange Wine2025Castilla-La Mancha, Spain£10–£15
SilverLong WinesMelea Orange OrganicNVSpain£10–£15
SilverWinzer KremsGrüner Veltliner Orange2024Österreich, Austria£10–£15
SilverAzienda Agricola CorteseCortese Orange-utan Bianco Terre Siciliane IGP2025Sicily, Italy£15–£20
SilverAttis Bodegas y ViñedosSitta Maceración2025Galicia, Spain£20–£30
SilverLe Anfore di Elena CasadeiTrebbiano, Toscana IGT2022Tuscany, Italy£30–£50
SilverLe Anfore di Elena CasadeiAnsonaco, Toscana IGT2025Tuscany, Italy£30–£50
SilverLe Anfore di Elena CasadeiMigiu, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT2024Sardinia, Italy£30–£50
SilverSiegel WinesNaranjo Viognier2024Colchagua, Chile£10–£15
SilverBodega ValdecuevasValdecuevas Orange2024Valladolid, Spain£15–£20
SilverHabersackGewürztraminer Rohdiamant2024Österreich, Austria£15–£20
SilverAncre HillOrange Wine2023Wales, UK£20–£30
SilverB58 WineryBeaulieu Orange2024Hampshire, UK£20–£30
BronzeGérard BertrandArt de Vivre Orange2024Languedoc-Roussillon, France£10–£15
BronzeViña Luis Felipe EdwardsMacerao Moscatel2025Itata Valley, Chile£10–£15
BronzeKirinoka Vineyards & WineryMorine Ogosso Pale Orange Three Amigas2025Nagano, Japan£15–£20
BronzeMaturana WineryNaranjo Maturana2025O’Higgins, Chile£20–£30
BronzeJordanChardonnay Crushed2023Weinland, Austria£20–£30

The strongest value propositions on the results alone appear to be Gérard Bertrand’s Naturae Orange 2025, which achieved Gold at under £10, and Orange Gold 2024, which achieved Gold in the £10–£15 bracket. At the premium end, Villa Soleilla 2024 was the outright competition winner, while Marmalade Invader 2024 was the only other wine to achieve the higher Master-level distinction.

The results also show how international the category has become. Medal-winning wines came from France, Austria, Spain, Italy, Chile, Japan, the UK, South Africa and Argentina, with both Wales and Hampshire producing Silver-medal orange wines.

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IMAGE WALL