Description
Here you have six of the most delicious skin contact / orange / amber wines around!
Skin-contact wines (aka 'orange' or 'amber' wines) is the ancient winemaking approach to making white wine, that has become hugely popular all over again. By leaving the grape juice on its skins for varying periods of time, you extract extra colour, aromas, flavours and textures, that make for a wildly delicious drinking experience.
This pack contains six of our most popular and delicious 'skinsy' wines, and is the perfect way to introduce yourself to this fascinating wine style!
- 2022 Unico Zelo Esoterico
- 2024 Blind Corner Orange in Colour
- 2023 Smallfry Tangerine Dream
- 2024 Hoddles Creek SKINS 500ml
- 2023 Express Winemakers L'Orange
- 2023 Swinging Bridge #003 Amber
2022 Unico Zelo Esoterico
"The chief driver is pure drinkability - a 'scrumptious' quality - mouthwatering acidity and 'say hello!' tannins. It's a Bohemian at heart."
- Brendan & Laura Carter on the Esoterico
A real cult favourite amongst those who've tracked the Carters from the beginning: the Esoterico is the wild child of the UZ range...
With Brendan and Laura's experience with this style of wine a little richer now, the execution of this skin contact white is on another level.
Supercharged aromatics from the Zibibbo, Moscato Giallo, Gewurztraminer & Greco, with a little boost to the mouthfeel from their old friend Fiano. They've certainly nailed this recipe, and it's no wonder it's become such a cult favourite for fans of this South Australian duo.
Orange in colour and cloudy as all get out, it lives up to its esoteric name but with oodles of drinkability. That's what skinsy whites should all be about.
2024 Blind Corner Orange in Colour
The 2024 Blind Corner Orange in Colour is Ben and Naomi Gould’s laid-back take on orange wine—fun, approachable, and brimming with character. From their organic and biodynamic vineyard in Quindalup, this blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, and a splash of Aligoté is all about flavour and texture, without being over the top.
The grapes were handpicked and spent a few days fermenting on their skins, adding a gentle tannin grip and that signature orange hue. Fermentation wrapped up in a mix of stainless steel and oak, keeping things fresh while layering in a bit of complexity.
It’s juicy, zesty, and lightly textured, with a nice balance of citrusy brightness and subtle savoury edges. Not too heavy, not too funky—just the right amount of everything to keep it interesting.
If you’ve been thinking about dipping your toes into orange wine, this is a cracking place to start. Fun, fresh, and seriously drinkable, it’s the kind of wine that’s made to share.
2023 Smallfry Tangerine Dream
The Tangerine Dream is one of the most experimental of the Smallfry wines. After sampling a few things at the Rootstock natural wine festival a couple of years ago, Wayne thought he might try his hand at making an amber wine. This is his eighth dig at the style and it's a beauty.
This skin-contact field blend of Semillon, Pedro Ximenes, Riesling, Roussanne and Muscat is the embodiment of Wayne's creative winemaking exploration, a left of centre amber wine for this region so steeped in tradition.
And quite simply, it is down-right delicious. We love it when winemakers broaden their horizons and just give something a go. Sometimes when you take a chance you can end up in a Tangerine Dream...
2024 Hoddles Creek SKINS 500ml
The 2024 Hoddles Creek SKINS Pinot Gris is the result of over a decade of experimentation and a desire to push boundaries. Inspired by Franco D’Anna’s time on Mount Etna in Sicily, where the philosophy is that the true flavour of certain varieties lies in the skins, this wine takes Pinot Gris in a bold and exciting direction.
Made entirely from estate-grown fruit in the Upper Yarra Valley, this skin-contact Pinot Gris showcases Franco’s innovative approach. After careful vineyard management to optimise fruit exposure, the grapes are fermented on their skins—treated much like a red wine—to extract complexity and texture. A decade of fine-tuning has resulted in a wine that’s unique, layered, and deeply expressive.
The 2024 SKINS offers aromas of red apple, dried orange peel, and subtle spice. The palate is textured and savoury, with flavours of blood orange and tea-like tannins balanced by a refreshing acidity. It’s a wine that’s as intriguing as it is drinkable, designed for curious drinkers ready to explore the possibilities of Pinot Gris.
With its small-batch production and distinctive character, the 2024 SKINS is a standout in the Hoddles Creek lineup—a wine born from passion, patience, and a determination to challenge conventions.
95 points
"It's not pinot gris as most drinkers would know it, but it's both an exemplary example of the style and a wine that would partner with a wide variety of foods. 500ml."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)
94 points
"There’s a slight herbal stalky element to the wine too, a light amaro thing, though I like that as it adds a little extra frisson. I love this wine. Gris is the word."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
2023 Express Winemakers L'Orange
This is a fantastic introduction into the wild and wooly world of skin contact white wines.
Blend of organic (uncertified) Riesling and at touch of Semillon from from the west. The fruit spent an average of six days on skins to pick up colour, tannin, texture and chew. The third full swing at this fun wine style from young Ryan O'Meara and he's hit it out of the park.
If you're looking to check out the 'orange' or 'amber' wine scene but don't know where to start, this is the perfect gateway drug.
2023 Swinging Bridge #003 Amber
This is Tom Ward's latest go-round on the experimental #003.
He's refining the style every year, with each vintage increasing in smashability and seeing a little less wildness. This is not quite as 'out there' as the earlier releases but the intent to create a textural yet vibrant skin-contact white wine remains the same.
This is a blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris and a tiny touch of Gewurztraminer. The fruit spent some time on skins, all the fruit was co-fermented and then spent three months in old wood prior to bottling. No additions made during the making, the wine bottled totally unfined and unfiltered with just a little sulphur to keep it sturdy.
Customer Reviews
| Price Bracket | $30 or Less |
| Type | Amber |
| Country | Australia |
| Feature |
Natural/Lo-Fi |
| Size | 8 |
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