Winemaker Notes
The Solis Lumen Our orange wine exudes the citrus, sun and spices of the Southern French countryside. Its rich aromas and tannins will perfectly complement your aperitifs with friends, Asian cuisine and cheese platters. 90% Muscat petits grains, 10% grenache gris
Blend: 90% Muscat, 10% Grenache Gris
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Orange wine! Over the past several years, I have tasted many. They can be very oxidized and tannic and maybe challenging to drink. The 2024 Domaine Montrose Solis Lumen is one of the best in this genre. This wine offers aromas and flavors of candied orange peel, fragrant spices, and earthy notes. Serve it with Tan Tan Noodles and enjoy the match. (Tasted: March 8, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
Montrose is located in the South of France in the Languedoc, a few kilometers from Pézenas and the Mediterranean Sea. Solis Lumen is Latin for "The Light of the Sun," a fundamental element of the Sud de France. The long hours of sunlight here allows the wine to reach its full potential and is an important feature of the Southern French lifestyle. The Coste family has made wine in the South of France, near the Mediterranean Sea since 1701.
"My family has made wine in the Languedoc for nine generations. The Mediterranean Sea, the wind and the sun are fundamental elements of our region. They shape our wines and participate in our South of France art de vivre. Our wines are carbon neutral. To preserve the planet, we use lightweight eco-friendly bottles and we measure, reduce and compensate 100% of our carbon emissions." - Olivier Coste, Owner & Winemaker
What is orange wine?
“Orange wine” is the most common term in modern American culture used to describe a white wine that is made like a red wine. In other words, it is a white wine made from white grapes that ferment while in contact with their skins (rather than being pressed). You’ll also see the terms, “skin-contact wine,” or in Italian, ramato (copper-colored) to describe this style.
How is orange wine made?
In modern winemaking, to make fresh white wine, pale-skinned grapes need to be pressed immediately after harvest so that the juice can ferment free from the skins and seeds. In ancient winemaking they didn’t have presses or other fancy winery equipment so made use of the tools at hand—mainly just vats for fermenting. This skin-contact style dates back to the 6th millennium BC in what is modern day Georgia (the country). At that time, they fermented ripe white grapes together with their skins, seeds and stems in a clay amphora, called a qvevri, which were sealed and buried in underground vessels for 5-6 months.
Where does orange wine come from?
Today’s modern skin-contact winemakers pay homage to this non-interventionist style of white winemaking. Though some people dismiss it as a fad, this age-old style has been resurfacing on the global scene over the last twenty or so years. Multiple countries make it—Georgia (of course), Slovenia, Italy, the U.S. and Australia to name a few. Each country produces this style in a different way with time on skins ranging anywhere from a half a day to multiple weeks. This creates a range of results in the finished wine. The color of these wines can be golden yellow to vibrant popsicle orange.
Tasting notes for orange wine
The time on skins also adds tannins and phenols to the finished wine and skin-contact wines normally show off a bright acidity. Typical flavors and aromas include bruised apple, peach, orange rind, lemongrass, lemon balm, chamomile, juniper, ginger, exotic spice, honey, beeswax and hazelnut.
Perfect food pairings for orange wine
Because of their complexity in aromas and flavors, structure and good acidity, skin-contact wines pair with a wide variety of foods. Common pairings include cream sauces, curries, spicy foods, roasted poultry and any seafood including shellfish.
A small category representing the wines that either fall outside of appellation lines or don’t subscribe to the law and traditions set forth by the French government within certain classified appellations, “Vin De France” is a catch-all that includes some of the most basic French wines as well as those of superior quality. The category includes large production, value-driven wines. It also includes some that were made with a great deal of creativity, diligence and talent by those who desire to make wine outside of governmental restrictions. These used to be called Vin de Table (table wine) but were renamed to compete with other European countries' wines of similar quality.