Cowra Wine Region – Click to Enlarge
Cowra – NSW
Cowra is one of three wine regions in the Central Ranges zone of New South Wales. It covers 1250 square kilometres of the Lachlan Valley, including Cowra, Billmari and Cowindra. It shares the Ranges with Mudgee and Orange. Despite being the southernmost region, it is actually the warmest of the three. This is largely due to its lower altitude and an open front to warm winds blowing in from central Australia.
The area was originally planted with Chardonnay in 1973. It has now grown to 647 hectares of vines across more than 40 vineyards. Since this original planting, growth has come in bursts as a handful of larger companies entered the area in the 1990s.
Cowra has recently made environmental sustainability a priority. Mission statement: “To produce wine of regional character with the least environmental impact of any region in Australia”.
The area is focused on increasing the use of mulch in the area, including the ‘Compost Cook-Off’ initiative. This is where vignerons compete against each other to make the best compost and promote this to the community.
The region already has four organic vineyards, and the number is expected to increase in the coming years.
A visit is 320 km from Sydney, about a 4-and-a-half-hour drive west, over the iconic Blue Mountains, through Bathurst and Blayney.
