It’s Official: Orange Wine is DOC-Certifiable in Collio, Italy

By WineBottleMag
February 23, 2025
Collio DOCCertifiable Italy Official Orange Wine
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The rolling hills of Collio, in Northeastern Italy, are witnessing a revolution. Thirty years since the region’s first modern skin-fermented white wines were released, the Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio, the organization that oversees wines from the region, voted 72% in favor of adding a new category to its official production roster: vino da uve macerate (wine from macerated grapes), which most of us know as orange wine.

This move signals both a return to tradition and gives transparency to the consumer, providing legitimacy to Collio as the modern cradle of orange wine. But as the style becomes more closely regulated, some orange wine fans are concerned about the famously unruly style becoming more standardized.

Stocksy

Orange Wine in Collio

Collio has long been a haven for rebels. Thirty years ago, Joško Gravner and Stanko Radikon rejected conventional winemaking practices and began skin-fermenting their Ribolla Gialla. This resulted in the revival of orange wines in the area, which had been made for centuries but fell out of favor when new technology entered the market in the 20th century.

But the revolution came at a price. Denied the right to use the prestigious Collio name, they were forced to bottle their wines as IGP Venezia or Vino Bianco, with no mention of the famed region.

Now, after decades of trying to gain recognition for their work, orange wine producers are finally getting their due. The new category will define wines that undergo at least seven days of fermentative maceration, with strict parameters on color and volatile acidity, which can go up to 1.2 mg per liter, like red wines.

This new designation will reduce ambiguity in the DOC evaluation process since producers weren’t able to clearly label their wines as skin contact. Meanwhile, consumers, who often rely on these designations as a signal of quality, couldn’t be sure about what they were drinking.

“We can certify these wines and write it on the label,” says Lavinia Zamaro, director of the Collio Consorzio. Before this, someone could order a Ribolla that’s a fresh white or an orange wine without knowing exactly which one they were getting, she adds.

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The Long Road to Certification

To ensure consistency and quality standards, the DOC tastes all the wines before certification. The process began a decade ago with the consorzio aiming for DOCG status, supported by pioneers like Saša Radikon.

“It took three, four years of tasting,” Zamaro notes, underscoring the effort to reach this milestone. Now, there is a critical mass of producers who are making these wines—and making it impossible to ignore the distinction.

This proposal passed with 97% approval, suggesting widespread support for innovative approaches grounded in tradition.

Collio’s embrace of orange wine reflects a desire among growers to redefine Friuli’s identity, establishing it as the orange wine haven. In addition to the macerated wines category, a new white wine category is also being defined, using exclusively Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla and Malvasia Istriana.

Ivana Radikon, daughter of the late Stanko Radikon who has taken over the winery operation with her brother Saša, welcomed the change because she believes it will help the drinkers know what they’re getting.

“We’re very happy that orange wines can finally be labeled as DOC,” she said. “It has been a long and difficult road, but we made it through the end, having almost full support from Collio winemakers.”

Artistry vs. Regulation

The practical benefits are clear: with skin-fermentation requirements and specified acidity levels, consumers can now easily identify whether they’re drinking an orange or white wine.

This clarity, however, presents a conundrum. Much of what has made Collio’s orange wines so compelling is their raw individuality—bottles that speak unmistakably of the hands and land that made them.

From the layered, herbal complexity of Radikon to the deep, oxidative power of Gravner, or the saline, orchard-fruited vibrancy of Dario Princic, each producer’s interpretation feels like a personal manifesto in a bottle. It’s precisely this rejection of formula that gave the style its soul.

But will that soul survive within the structure of a DOC? By its nature, regulation draws lines—defining what orange wine should be, rather than allowing it to simply become.

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“Are we losing the rebellious spirit that made these wines so revolutionary?” asks Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Jeff Porter, who reviews wines from Italy. “The early days were about being independent and beating to their own drum.”

The risk is that in formalizing the category, something essential—something wild and thrilling—could be lost.

Another concern is that some wineries might jump on the trend making the overall quality go down. However, Ivana Radikon believes this will not happen: “Orange wines are not so trendy anymore and the rules were made to prevent that estates which were trying to sell faulty wines as orange won’t do that anymore.”

As Collio embraces this new chapter, only time and taste will tell whether the DOC designation can truly capture the unique essence of orange wines—or if it will tame their rebellious spirit.

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