Express Winemakers L'orange 2026 750ml

“Zesty Great Southern orange wine with grapefruit, marmalade, spice and a gently grippy finish.”

Express Winemakers L'Orange 2026 is a bright, textural skin contact white that sits right in that sweet spot between interesting and genuinely easy to drink.

Made from Riesling and Semillon, it bursts with orange, lemon and grapefruit, with marmalade, clove, spice, barley sugar and iced tea adding a more savoury, slightly tannic edge. The palate is generous and rounded, but lively acidity keeps everything fresh, while the skin contact gives the wine a gentle grip and plenty of texture.

This is a very good introduction to orange wine if you want something with character without going completely off the deep end. It has the citrus brightness of a white, the texture of a lightly structured red and enough savoury detail to make every glass interesting. It also comes from organically farmed fruit in Frankland, so there is a proper sense of place behind all that fun.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Orange peel, grapefruit, clove, spice, barley sugar and iced tea.

Palate: Generous and rounded with marmalade, freshly squeezed orange, citrus zest and lively acidity.

Finish: Dry, textural and gently grippy with lingering grapefruit, spice and restrained tannins.

About The Winery

Express Winemakers is the project of first generation vignerons Ryan O’Meara and Pete Ikstrums, who seek out neglected or underused vineyards across the Great Southern and bring them back to life using organic farming practices.

Their approach is deliberately hands off in the winery. The focus is on healthy fruit, natural fermentation and making wines that feel expressive rather than polished into submission. The L'Orange comes from their Franklandia vineyard in the Frankland subregion, where they have been making this style since 2017.

For the 2026 release, Riesling and Semillon are fermented on skins for eight days before pressing, creating the colour, texture and gentle tannin that define the wine. It is natural wine with personality, but importantly, it still tastes like wine rather than a science experiment.

Cellaring Potential

Express Winemakers L'Orange 2026 is best enjoyed young, while the citrus, spice and freshness are at their most vibrant.

Recommended drinking window: Now to 2028.

Details

Producer: Express Winemakers
Vintage: 2026
Varieties: Riesling and Semillon
Region: Frankland, Great Southern, Western Australia
Vineyard: Franklandia
Bottle Size: 750ml
Wine Style: Skin Contact Orange Wine
Wine Sweetness: Dry
Wine Body: Medium bodied
ABV: 12.9%
Farming: Organic, Not Certified
Winemaking: Wild Fermentation, Eight Days Skin Contact
Key Flavours: Orange, Grapefruit, Marmalade, Clove, Spice, Iced Tea
Cellaring: Best Enjoyed Young