Gérard Bertrand launches first orange wine

Languedoc producer Gérard Bertrand has launched his first organic orange wine, which endeavours to blend Georgian tradition with southern French modernity.

Called Orange Gold, the wine is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne, Mauzac and Muscat.

Having assembled a tasting of 75 of the world’s top orange wines, Bertrand was inspired to create a modern, fresher expression that respected Georgian traditions.

Chosen for their aromatic complexity, the six grapes used to make the wine are fermented in whole bunches on their skins to add colour and tannin to the wine.

According to Bertrand, Orange Gold has “an unusual profile and remarkable finesse and subtlety, reflecting the vibrancy, minerality and freshness of the south of France.”

Among the aromas you’ll find in the wine are: white flowers, candied fruit, grapefruit, orange water and white pepper. Bertrand is particularly proud of the wine’s “light bitterness” on the finish, which he believes whets the appetite.

The wine made its debut with the world’s wine press and buyers during an online tasting hosted by Bertrand last week.

“Orange Gold was bottled a week ago and I’m very proud of it. I’ve tried a lot of different orange wines from around the world, some of which I enjoyed, others I was disappointed by,” Bertrand said.

“I wanted to create an orange wine that blended the tradition of the Georgians with the modernity of the South of France, so it sees oak and stainless steel.”

Bertrand believes the wine offers a new taste experience and pairs well with hard cheeses and spicy dishes. Orange Gold 2020 is on sale via the Gérard Bertrand website priced at €12.50 a bottle.

Bertrand also recently released a duo of sulphite free wines – a Chardonnay and a Shiraz made with grapes from low yielding old vines close to the winery – under the ‘Prima Nature’ label, which have been in development for three years.

“Human beings have forgotten that nature has given us the chance to be here. We feel like we’re the king of the world now, which is not true. We created the brand to put nature first again, which is what we need to do,” Bertrand said.

Both wines are vegan certified and Bertrand believes they can age for over two years. Freshness and balance are the aim of the game, so the Syrah is unoaked. Bertrand has halved his sulphur use across his entire range. For his vegan certified wines, he uses peas as a fining agent, which he believes is the best vegetal protein to replace eggs.