Orange Wine Region – Click to Enlarge

Orange in NSW

Orange is a stunning wine region, widely recognised for its vibrant food and wine culture.  It has a unique high elevation and exceptional terroir. An ideal getaway just three and a half hours west of Sydney over the scenic Blue Mountains, through Lithgow and Bathurst.

As Australia’s highest-altitude wine region, it reaches peaks of 1390m. Orange weather also provides a distinct natural advantage when it comes to ideal grape-growing conditions, with dry autumns and cool temperatures.

The region is one of three wine regions in the Central Ranges zone of New South Wales. Situated on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, it shares the zone with Mudgee and Cowra.

Though relatively young as a wine region, the Orange wine-making scene has grown exponentially since its beginnings in the early 1980s.

Home to more than 60 vineyards and 40 cellar doors, it has truly cemented its status as one of Australia’s most prominent and sophisticated food and wine destinations.

If you are spending the weekend, Orange has five wine trails that wind through its spectacular vineyards:

Unlike most Australian wine regions, Orange is one of the few where Shiraz does not make up the most significant volume. This accolade goes to Chardonnay, for which Orange is famed. The region produces this varietal with exceptional finesse, expressing flavours of peach, apricot, lemon, lime and passion-fruit. Chardonnay has been one of Orange’s most successful white wines and performs well at all elevations. Found at most cellar doors in Orange, this white varietal makes up 22% of the grapes crushed in the region in 2019.  Swinging Bridge offers a fabulous selection from different blocks in the vineyard.

In a very close second place with a 20% share of grape crush is Shiraz, one of Orange’s best performing red varieties, which works well at both lower and higher elevations.

Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 14% share. All about elegance, structure and age-worthiness and the body of these wines will vary from fuller to lighter depending upon the elevation.

The region’s second most popular white is Sauvignon Blanc, 12% share, which is well suited to this region where the wines are very aromatic with a diversity of flavours that include tropical fruits, passion-fruit, gooseberry, herbs and flint.

Rounding out the top 5 for 2019 is Merlot,10% share. The Orange Region does Merlot well, producing fruit with that extra bit of ‘lift’. The flavours in these red wines include red berries, dried herbs, black currant, mulberry, plum, game and anise.

Famed for its world-class Chardonnay, the Orange wine region also produces excellent Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris and emerging varietals such as Viognier, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. Orange Mountain wines offers great examples of both Viognier and Shiraz Viognier.

Source:  www.wineaustralia.com. www.orange360.com.au and / Photo Credit