Rosé and orange wine often look similar in the glass, but the taste completely different.

In this video, we'll discuss the history, winemaking, and taste difference between Rosé and Orange wine. We’ll talk about skin contact, phenolic bitterness, and how rosé gets its color without turning into red wine.

If you’ve ever wondered:

– Why rosé and orange wine can look similar but taste nothing alike

– Why orange wine tastes bitter or grippy

– How skin contact changes a wine’s structure and feel

This one’s for you.

Wines tasted:

– Love You Bunches Rosé (Stolpman Vineyards)

– Love You Bunches Orange (Stolpman Vineyards)

⏱ Chapters:

0:00 Rosé vs orange wine- same color, different wine

0:45 What rosé actually is

1:30 What orange wine actually is

3:00 A quick history of rosé and orange wine

5:30 The science of skin contact & phenolics

8:00 Why these two wines taste so different

10:30 Tasting: rosé vs orange

13:30 The U.S. labeling problem with “orange wine”

14:40 Final thoughts + who should drink which

If you like approachable wine education and breaking down confusing wine topics without the snobbery, hit subscribe and drop a comment. Which one are you pouring: rosé or orange?

Wine without grapes? It’s not a trend, it’s history.

Today we're exploring fruit wine (wine made from fruit other than grapes) and why it existed long before modern day winemaking. From ancient fermentation to modern American producers, fruit wine has always been part of the wine story, even if it’s been overlooked.

0:00 Does wine have to be made with grapes?

0:31 Brief history of wine

1:31 Why do we ferment grapes?

2:42 What fruit wine actually is (legally and historically)

3:56 How fruit wine fits into American wine history

5:16 Hermit Woods winery

5:41 Why fruit wine has been dismissed as “not real wine”... and why that’s wrong

6:22 What modern producers are doing to make dry, structured fruit wines today

7:04 Hermit Woods Red Scare tasting (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and honey wine)

9:39 Hermit Woods Winni White tasting (plums, peaches, nectarines, kiwi berries, green tomatoes and rhubarb wine)

If you're curious about off-the-beaten path wine, or the future of American wine beyond the usual grape varieties, join me on this journey!

Champagne can only come from Champagne France, right?

Well, yes... and also no.

In this episode, we’re digging into the real history of American Champagne and sparkling wine. From how Champagne was invented in France, to American Sparkling's surprising roots in Ohio and New York, to why some U.S. producers can still legally use the word “Champagne” today.

We’ll talk about:

How sparkling wine actually came to be

Why “Champagne” was once legal on American labels (and why most wineries can’t use it anymore)

What is Champagne?

What is Prosecco?

What is Pét-nat?

Tasting a rosé pét-nat from Field Recordings, the oldest style of sparkling wine there is

Tasting a Champagne-method sparkling Pinot Noir from Peju

American sparkling wine isn’t just a copy of France, it’s a story of history, climate, law, and creativity, all in the glass. Cheers!

Apple wine? Apple cider? Apple & grape co-ferments? Let’s clear this up.

In today’s episode, we dig into the line between cider and wine, and how American producers have been experimenting with fruit & grape co-ferments for far longer than you might think. From early settler fermentations to today’s modern craft winemakers, fruit fermentation has shaped American wine culture for centuries.

Whether you’re team hard cider or team wine, this episode breaks down the history and why these bottles deserve a place in the conversation about U.S. wine.

00:00 Intro

00:47 History of fruit wine

02:54 Cider vs. Wine – What’s the actual difference?

03:53 Tasting: Mari Vineyard’s Drolly Ambra

06:54 Tasting: Rose Hill Chiffoner

If you love discovering America’s best-kept wine secrets, subscribe for more deep dives into overlooked grapes, experimental winemakers, and the regions rewriting the rules.

Hudson Valley New York isn't one of America's most known wine regions, but it has one major claim to fame: it’s home to America’s oldest continually operating winery, a piece of early U.S. wine history that predates most of what we think of as “American wine.”

In this episode, we'll take a look at that history and then focus on two modern wines from the region. We'll taste a Cabernet Franc and a Cabernet Franc Rosé from Fjord Vineyards. These bottles show how Cab Franc expresses itself in a true cool-climate setting, and how producers in the Hudson Valley are shaping their own identity today.

If you’re curious about New York wine, Cabernet Franc, or how this region is evolving, this tasting offers a grounded look at what’s happening in the valley right now.

0:00 Intro

0:35 Hudson Valley History

2:08 America’s Oldest Winery (Brotherhood) History

3:51 Intro to the wines

4:21 Screw cap wine

4:54 What is Cabernet Franc?

6:25 Tasting Fjord Cabernet Franc

8:31 Tasting: Fjord Cabernet Franc Rosé

What is Gamay, really?

In today’s episode, we’re taking Gamay far beyond Beaujolais and diving into it's diversity of styles: Beaujolais Nouveau, oak-aged Oregon Gamay, and even Gamay made as a white wine. If you’ve only ever tasted Gamay as a light red from France, buckle up. This grape has range.

We start with the history of Beaujolais Nouveau, and how a local harvest wine turned into a global frenzy. We'll cover why it tastes like banana candy (its a real thing). Then we jump to the U.S. to dive into how American winemakers are rewriting Gamay, and Nouveau-style wine rules.

0:00 – Intro

1:12 – Beaujolais Region

1:52 – Beaujolais Nouveau History

5:06 – Winemaking Science Behind Nouveau Styles

8:00 – Paul Brady’s Fauxjolais (New York)

9:29 – Carbonic Maceration and Banana Candy & Bubblegum Flavors

13:48 – Division Wine Company Gamay (Oregon)

17:26 – Libertine Gamay Blanc

20:57 – Final Thoughts

Wines Featured:

• Paul Brady Wine – Fauxjolais (New York)

• Division Wine Co. – Gamay Noir Lutte (Oregon)

• Libertine Wines – White Gamay (Oregon)

If you’re into American wine, small producers, or discovering grapes beyond the mainstream, subscribe and stick around.

Most people think they know what Malbec tastes like: dark, jammy, plush, perfect with steak.

But what if that’s only one version of the story?

In this episode of American Wine Rebel, we're tasting two Malbecs that couldn’t be more different:

- Gilbert Cellars Malbec from Horse Heaven Hills, Washington. This more classic malbec has structured tannin and big dark fruit flavors.

- Benmarl Winery Malbec from Hudson Valley, New York. This cool climate Malbec is light bodied, bright, and full of red fruit and mineral flavors.

We’ll trace Malbec’s journey from its French roots (and the frost that nearly killed it) to its rebirth in Argentina and its evolution across the U.S., then explore how terroir and winemaking shape this grape into completely different personalities.

If you’ve ever thought “I don’t like Malbec,” this might change your mind.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro

01:10 Introducing the wines

03:11 Malbec’s French origins

04:26 Argentina’s reinvention

05:59 U.S. Malbecs and their new identities

07:11 Tasting #1 – Gilbert Cellars (Horse Heaven Hills, WA)

11:39 Tasting #2 – Benmarl Winery (Hudson Valley, NY)

14:39 Final Thoughts and Why terroir changes everything

When most people think American white wine, they think of one thing... Chardonnay. Big, buttery, golden Chardonnay from California.

But what if I told you that’s only a fraction of the American white wine story?

In this episode of The American Wine Rebel Show, we're exploring two totally different white wines from opposite corners of the U.S.:

Oregon’s Ovum “Big Salt”: a cool-climate blend of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, and more.

Texas’ Augusta Vin Viognier: a warm-climate white that’s become one of the Lone Star State’s signature grapes.

0:00 – Beyond Chardonnay: The Real Story of American White Wine

0:47 – Meet the Wines: Oregon Big Salt & Texas Viognier

1:45 – How Prohibition Changed American Wine Forever

3:43 – Oregon’s Wine History: From Pinot Noir to Big Salt

6:03 – Tasting #1: Ovum “Big Salt” (Oregon Blend)

6:53 – What Is Salinity in Wine? (And Why It Matters)

11:48 – Tasting #2: Augusta Vin Viognier (Texas High Plains)

Along the way, we’ll uncover how Prohibition reshaped American winemaking and how new regions (like Oregon and Texas) are rewriting the rules with grapes that thrive in their unique terroir.

Whether you’re a Chardonnay lover or ready to explore what’s beyond the buttery, this episode will make you see American white wine in a whole new way.

Wines Featured:

Ovum “Big Salt” (Oregon, 2024)

Augusta Vin Viognier (Texas, 2024)

Watch next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50IXT8bXfg&t=677s

Follow for more: @AmericanWineRebel

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanWineRebel

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