Ten tasty orange treats at Cafe de Klepel

Tricky things these artisan-made natural wines. Some days they sing, others they sulk. I presented 17 orange wines to a large group of Dutch sommeliers back in May, and although there were gems, many of the classics just weren't showing their best. La Castellada's Ribolla Gialla and COS's Pithos Bianco seemed particularly grumpy, passing muster but not expressing their potential.

It was great to be able to repeat some parts of that tasting, this time for a more intimate group of orange newbies and longtime enthusiasts culled from some of Amsterdam's best restaurants. And today either the heavens were aligned or Maria Thun's bones must have got out of bed the right side. Technically I believe it was a flower day, mutating into a leaf day, so biodynamic karma was on our side.

Job Seuren from Amsterdam's Cafe de Klepel suggested we organise this ad hoc tasting of orange wines. Not needing much encouragement, I put together ten examples to showcase the style's huge variety. And they were al…