"Aged wine sounds a thousand times more attractive than orange wine"

From the tendency to adopt the English word, even though the Catalan one already exists to designate the same thing, not even a drink as traditional as wine escapes it. In Catalonia, the production of white wines fermented with the skins –and sometimes with the grape stalks– has returned with force, which can present a striking orangey hue. This is how whites used to be made in past times and in Catalan they are called "vins brisats" (brisated wines), because during their production "brisa" has been used, which is the residue left after using the whole grape during production. However, even here they are often identified as orange or orange wines."An English word seems to be more common", asserts Marc Picanyol, author of the book Amb pells. Guia dels vins brisats de Catalunya (Cossetània, 2025). Accustomed to moving around Barcelona, Picanyol sees how orange proliferates among the wine bars –another expression that may be making inroads instead of wine bars–, both perhaps a result of the increase in the number of expats that the Catalan capital hosts, but he does not resign himself to this trend. He has written the book to publicize the increasingly extensive Catalan heritage of brisats –among the main references for these wines are Georgia, Slovenia, and northern Italy–, but also to "normalize" the word brisats. In his opinion, there is no doubt that it is much prettier than orange: "To me, vi brisat sounds a thousand times more attractive than hearing orange wine".When defining what a "brisat" is, there is no consensus. It may even be that a "brisat" and an orange" are not always the same. Picanyol details that the concept of orange wine likely arose to identify orange-colored wines, but over time it has become more open and at least in Europe it is now used more generally for wines made with white grapes that ferment with their skins. In the book, he has included all those Catalan wines that have fermented with skins for at least three days, although some would find it essential that it also be done with the stems or for a longer period. Be that as it may, Picanyol has named the book Amb pells" because "it is the only point where everyone agrees" and with it he aims to promote still minority wines. "Outside of us, of those of us involved in the world of wine, people don't know what they are," he states.Even so, in recent years Catalan "brisats" have multiplied. The book is a very exhaustive work that incorporates 137 wineries that produce them, but Picanyol has already located about thirty more that do not appear yet. Wineries have produced new ones and do not always communicate that they make them: there are many "brisats" in which it is not stated anywhere that they are, and hence the relevance that there is now a hitherto unprecedented guide that collects the majority of them. Often they are produced by small wineries, they are of low production and are included within the so-called natural wines, so they may not have added sulfites: they are wines to which it is appropriate to be natural, because fermenting with the skins and the stems can help protect the wine from oxidation.

Fresh and forceful at the same time

For those who have never tasted a brisat –or think they haven't–, what are these wines like? "I always say that brisat has the freshness of white and the punch or structure of red," summarizes Picanyol, although its profile is very broad. They are made from varieties such as white grenache, xarel·lo, macabeo, or Malvasia de Sitges. There are elegant and subtle ones, and others that are more rustic, which may be those that ferment longer, even months, with the skins and perhaps with the stems. However, unlike what used to be done in the past, nowadays the stem is not used in all of them during their production, because "it can make the wine too radical, bitter, or generally too strong," asserts Picanyol.Precisely because of the elaboration process of brisats, some may benefit from being aired in the glass for a while to be fully enjoyed. Therefore, if after opening a bottle it doesn't quite appeal to you, swirl the glass and taste it again before deciding if you like it. In a brisat, it's common to find aromas of candied fruit, such as orange. You can also perceive a smell of breeze, says Picanyol: "It smells of skins." When we take a sip, it can be immediately noticed that it has more body than a white wine, which should not prevent it from having good acidity, so a brisat can provide a pleasant tasting experience.For all of this, some can be enjoyed by the glass, such as with an appetizer, and others are better savored during a meal, even with strong-flavored dishes. Picanyol has opted for a brisat to accompany cannelloni, roast chicken with plums and raisins, or even fricandó: these types of wines can be very suitable with dishes like these with sauces because they help to cleanse the palate. "A meat, like fricandó, I prefer to have it with a brisat rather than a red wine. On the other hand, a grilled T-bone or a pan-seared fillet I might prefer with a fresh red," he recounts.Despite all the possibilities that orange wines offer at the table, the fact is that they are not always identified as such on wine labels or winery websites. "Some don't say it openly," admits Picanyol, who racks his brain for a good while to find the reasons. "The orange wine label doesn't lose you sales, but it doesn't add any either," he suggests. It also doesn't help that not everyone understands exactly the same thing by orange wine, nor that sometimes wineries produce small quantities more as a test, to see how they manage to vinify without added sulfites or to make use of that small vineyard in the corner that they don't know what to do with. "It's all very green to advocate for these types of vinifications," Picanyol maintains, although at the same time he guarantees that these bottles find a market and don't stay in the wineries unsold.Looking ahead, Picanyol asks restaurants to help raise the profile of brisats on their menus, with a specific section like the one for white wine – where brisats are usually found – or red wine, and to call it brisat instead of orange. This is not the only anglicism applied to these wines: some are presented as "skin contact" because they have fermented little with the skins and have a paler color. On the other hand, in Catalonia, it so happens that only the Denominació d'Origen (DO) Terra Alta protects brisats. It is not that other DOs do not have them, but they are not included in their specifications and are considered white wines. However, it is in Penedès where Picanyol has found the most brisats, and he believes that these wines should be recognized "in all DOs" because they are part of Catalonia's wine heritage.