Beyond the Basics: Orange Wines

Beyond the Basics: Orange Wines

With Magdalena Kaiser
Wednesday Nov 13 2024 6:00 pm CET

Summary

This session delves into the range of production techniques used for orange wines, including vessel choices (old barriques, stainless steel, or amphorae), whole cluster inclusion, and varying time on skins. Varietal expression within these wines is particularly compelling. The exploration includes examples from traditional wine regions like Georgia, Italy, Slovenia, France and Spain, alongside new-world producers who are experimenting with varieties like Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Viognier.

Magdalena Kaiser has a deep interest in Skin Fermented White wine and has made two vintages herself from Gewurztraminer in Niagara, Ontario. In 2017, Ontario was the second place in the world, after South Africa, that created a formal category within their appellation system for orange wines.

About the Speaker

Magdalena is an International Freelancer who consults on all aspects of the wine business including wine import and export, regional brand building, wine judging and writes about wine, food and travel with a focus on sustainability.

Magdalena Kaiser has been in the wine industry almost her entire life. She began working at Inniskillin Wines as a young teen leading tours and tastings and has fond memories of bottling wine with her winemaker co-founder father Karl Kaiser at the young age of five. With 40+ years of experience in wine, tourism, culinary and communication strategy she brings passion and expertise to the industry she loves.

As Director of PR for Ontario VQA wine for the past 15 years, Magdalena has played a pivotal role in elevating the region’s global presence. Through her leadership in media, tourism, trade and export initiatives, she garnered significant attention for Ontario’s wines, both domestically and internationally shaping its trajectory for growth and success.

A graduate of Economics and International Marketing, Magdalena also has multiple wine education certifications. An advocate for sustainable solutions in wine and tourism, she is professionally certified with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. She has served on numerous boards including the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) and was the Educational Program Chair for 12 years. She was on the Advisory Board of the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium 2022, Niagara and was integral in building the industry collaborations that were necessary in winning to bid to host this international wine conference. Magdalena frequently presents to international audiences on wine, culinary tourism, export business and strategic PR & marketing. Her expertise has contributed to the content development about Ontario VQA wine in hundreds of publications including Decanter Magazine, Drinks Business, Globe & Mail, Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, WSET Global wine certification course, Toronto Star, Wine Bible, Wall Street Journal, World of Fine Wine Magazine and more.

With every minute of her free time, Magdalena travels and tastes, visiting wine regions around the world and is a judge at the Decanter Wine Awards in London. In 2024, she became the Regional Ambassador for the Old Vines Conference in order to support their efforts in documenting the stories of old vines.

Magdalena is curious about all wine and even makes a tiny bit of wine herself. Her micro-size @TinyBatchWine project, where she makes magnums of Gamay and Skin Fermented Gewürztraminer, was born out of a desire to keep learning while honouring her late father’s craft as a winemaker.