Summertime is rosé time! Or, at least, that's what I thought—until I noticed my friends bringing a different colored liquid to afternoon picnics, or skipping the pink section on restaurant menus. It seems that a new kid is on the wine block: Orange wine is increasingly what in-the-know drinkers are plumping for. But it's not at all the fresh-faced newbie the average swiller might think. According to wine writer Andrea Frost, author of Through a Sparkling Glass, "while the style is now popular in hip bars and restaurants, it is an ancient winemaking style having a revival."

So, we thought we'd better catch up. To elevate your summer drinking skills, we asked some experts to give us the lowdown on orange wine, so we know just what it is, what to ask for, and when to drink it (of course).

So, what is orange wine?

Tom Kearney, co-owner of Brooklyn's June Wine Bar, which specializes in natural wines, says this is "the number one question people ask at June." His answer? "I usually tell people that orange wine is a white wine made like a red wine. Normally, in the process of making a red wine, the skins are left to macerate with the juice for a duration of time. In white wine production, the skins are normally removed after pressing." His colleague at June, wine list consultant Nick Gorevic, explains that this is how the wine's color is achieved: "When the green skins stay in contact with the juice, the wine ends up with a more orange hue to it."

Okay, so what does orange wine taste like?

Even though it's just as pretty as its pink cousin, don't expect it to be just like rosé. Bianca Bosker, author of New York Times bestselling book Cork Dork and trained sommelier, says the beverage is its own breed entirely: "bewitching, delicious, and complex." But, she warns, it's not exactly a starter drink. "Some people love it—I'm one of them—others argue too many examples are too 'weird.'" Still, don't let that put you off. Just like red wine and white wine, or even varietals within those categories, there's plenty to love. "Just as you might not like all Sauvignon Blanc, don't give up on orange wine just because you've tried one you don't love," she suggests.

In terms of flavor profile, Bosker says you can expect "heft" with plenty of "mouth-gripping tannins that come from the extra time the grape juice spends on the skins" and lots of aroma. What notes should you be detecting? "Think toast, nuts, dried fruits, and even honeysuckle." Delish.

If you're still not sure, just take a look at what's in your glass (or bottle). Gorevic notes that the color and flavor of orange wine can range, from "very light tannins, and barely any perceptible color, all the way to a cloudy, darkly amber-colored wine with a ton of tannin and chewy structure, bursting out of the glass with aromatics." No problem—we'll take it all.