With the weather getting nicer (allegedly?), it's the perfect time of year to get outside to a food and drink day festival, listen to some music, enjoy some interesting bites, and spend some quality time with over 350 wines from more than 150 wineries.

Yes, that is a lot of wine!

And the entry ticket is all-inclusive. It's a great deal. You get: the wine tastings, a designer canvas bag, a fancy wine glass to take home, a drip coffee, and a drinks guide to the products on hand.

The Amber Moments: Orange Wine Festival is coming to Shanghai this weekend on August 25 and August 26, showcasing the "fourth color" of wines — orange wines — with ample varieties of orange and natural wine available to try out, great food from Zup Pizza Bar, DJs playing tunes, live music, concurrent fashion events, fancy French cheeses to enjoy with the grapes, good times, memories, forgotten memories, and the chance to expand you own wine knowledge, the most important kind of knowledge there is.

What Is Orange Wine? (Just Basically.)

Orange wine is also known as "skin-contact white wine" because that's precisely what it is; wine made from white wine grapes where the skin is not removed, and stays in contact with the juice for days, weeks, or months. Usually, when you make white wine, you quickly take the grape skins out after juicing because the skin is thought to contain properties undesirable to white wine: tannin, "mouthfeel", and a darker color.

(Incidentally, these are good qualities for red wine so they keep the skin on.)

Orange wine was common in Italy in the 1950 and 1960s and then it fell out of vogue with people looking for a more purist definition of white wine. It's come back in the last 20 years or so with winemakers and drinkers who recognize it for its own unique and tasty qualities.

It's also lately popular because it's "organic wine" and intersects with biodynamic and natural wine, which are categories that speak to new ideas championing sustainability and low carbon impact production

And How Does It Taste Then?

Taste-wise, generally speaking, you're encountering a drier, more sour flavor in a deeper liquid that may even contain tannin and maybe even come across like a fruit beer. Thusly, orange wines are good for fans of craft beer and cider. And good for people looking for the robust flavors of red wine but the cool and refreshing qualities of white wine. And good for summer drinks and summer drinkers.

Or, you know... good for people who like to drink things in general.

What To Expect at the Amber Moments: Orange Wine Festival

Plenty of "Amber Moments" with orange wines and natural wines from all over the world. Have a cup of coffee, get some Chicago-style pizza, enjoy the sustainable fashion program events, workshops, and panels, bring your dog out to get some fresh air, enjoy some music from DJs, and live bands, and maybe come away with a new appreciation of this emerging category of wine.

The Details

Dates: Friday, August 25, from 1 pm-9:30 pm and Saturday, August 26, from 1 pm to 6 pm.

Venue: Bridge 8 Art Space (1247 Suzhou Nan Lu)

Tickets: Early bird single: 158rmb, Early bird double: 299rmb; Available here.
At the door: 198rmb.

***Tickets include wine tasting, a complimentary designer tote bag, drip coffee, and a drinks guide***