TRAVEL GUIDE Orange • Cellar Doors • Restaurants • Festivals & Events • Cheese & Chocolate • Things To Do • Distilleries • Breweries • AND MORE! PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2018 Orange – a unique cool climate wine region PagePage A 2 || Located in the Central Ranges of New South Wales, Orange is relatively young compared to other wine regions. Orange wines developed in the 1980s and today the region boasts over 1500 hectares of grapes and around 80 vineyards. The area is recognised both for the quality“ of wine as well its fine food, which await discovery in the picturesque pastoral setting. Set at over 600 metres above sea level, the inland cool climate has a long and slow growing period, dry autumns, and higher-than-average rainfall. This produces crisp, expressive white wines and savoury, light to medium bodied red wines, with the region planted to 60% red wine varieties and 40% white wine varieties. Shiraz is widely planted in the Orange region, showing red and blackberry fruit flavours, peppery spice and herbal notes, generally lighter in body and best drunk within the first five years. Chardonnay is another popular variety, with many examples enhanced by oak to enhance texture and richness. Orange has also seen an increase in newer-to-Australia varieties in recent years, including Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Viognier“ and more. If you haven’t experienced Orange wines then this comprehensive wine lover’s guide that we’ve put together will help you plan all aspects of your visit. Enjoy! Christine Ricketts Cellar Director Please note: Prices and information correct at the date of publication based on publicly available information. It is always best to contact the supplier directly to ensure the information presented in this guide remain accurate. | Page 3 5 Practical Facts Orange is easily accessible Don’t let the cold weather from Sydney put you off Only a three and a half hour drive west of Being a cool climate region, winter in Orange Sydney, Orange is a perfect weekend wine does get cold. However, don’t let this put you tasting destination. Once there, you’ll find off. Provided you bring warm clothing, there’s the regional centre is full of character, and plenty of hearty fare to sample in-between it’s a great base for exploring the wine and wine tastings, not to mention lots of warm food of the district. firesides to relax beside. Best time to visit Due to its proximity to Sydney, Orange welcomes visitors year round. In fact you’ll be hard pressed to decide when to go: springtime in the region is vibrant, summers are mild, and people travel from far afield to see the spectacular autumn colours. Expect unique wines The beauty of Orange wines is that they are uniquely their own. You’ll find lighter to medium bodied examples of Shiraz and pristine, fresh Chardonnay that offer distinct flavour, weight, texture and varietal character. A long history of fruit growing There’s no question Orange produces great grapes, but the area also has a long history of growing apples, cherries and stone fruits. Be sure to taste some of the local produce when you visit, and depending on the time of year you’re there, you might be able to take part in some fruit picking. PagePage A 4 || 5 Fast Facts 30+ cellar doors While on the national scale Orange isn’t as large as iconic regions such as the Barossa, Orange has over 80 vineyards and more than 30 cellar doors. Plenty to keep you occupied for a weekend of wine tasting, in other words! A boutique wine lovers’ paradise Orange’s strength is its individuality and this is reflected in the assortment of boutique wineries available to visit. Whether you’re a Shiraz lover, prefer white wines or are keen to try some alternate varieties, there’s something for all tastes in Orange. A vibrant regional hub While Orange is close to Sydney, it’s still far enough to have developed its own sense of self, and visitors can enjoy immersing themselves in the character of this vibrant regional hub. As well as food and wine, there are art galleries, parks and shopping to enjoy. Time your trip to take in a festival Orange holds two major festivals each year: Orange F.O.O.D Week in April and the Orange Wine Festival in October. Each festival provides an opportunity to experience the best Orange has to offer and these events attract visitors from far and wide. Get close to nature Another advantage to visiting Orange is that it’s surrounded by natural beauty. Nature lovers, walkers and hikers are spoiled for choice with nearby national parks, waterfalls, lookouts, reserves, and gardens. | Page 5 PagePage A 6 || Getting Here & Around By car Orange and its wineries are just over 200 kilometres or three and a half hours drive from Sydney. There are two main routes from Sydney: via the A32 that will take you through Katoomba or via the B59 out past Richmond and Mount Tomah. Both routes take roughly the same time and are equally scenic. By Bus Private coach services are available between Sydney and Orange, travelling daily. www.austwidecoaches.com.au By Train Transport NSW runs regional train services from Central in Sydney to Orange (transferring at Lithgow) on a daily basis. The journey takes just under five hours. www.transportnsw.info/regional By Plane Regional Express (REX) fly to Orange direct from Sydney most days. www.rex.com.au Orange Wine Tasting Tours Orange Wine Tours offer an exciting way to experience the fascinating cold climate wine region of Orange, with a range of tours to suit everyone. Choose from all inclusive package tours, personalised tours and you can also enjoy the delights of food and wine with a lunch tour. Whichever option you select, Orange Wine Tours have partnered with some of the best viticulturists in Orange to bring you exclusive tours of this unique terroir. www.orangewinetours.com.au | Page 7 Orange Wine Festival The Orange Wine Festival runs every 5 Happenings October over one week and two weekends, highlighting the region’s premium wines with over 90 events. Favourite activities Orange Farmers Market include the Orange Wine Show Tasting, Every second Saturday of the month from Wine in the Vines, The Vino Express and 8.30am to midday, the Orange Farmers the Festival Night Market. The Festival Market sells local produce to the community is positioned as a friendly event open to and visitors. Established in 2002, each month wine-lovers of all ages, encompassing new more than 60 stallholders gather together wine drinkers to connoisseurs. to showcase their freshly picked, grown and www.orangewinefestival.com.au handcrafted produce. www.orangefarmersmarket.org.au Orange F.O.O.D Week Orange’s annual F.O.O.D. Week (Food Of Orange District) is Australia’s longest running regional food festival. For more than 25 years, the festival has celebrated Orange’s finest fresh produce and fine wines annually in April. It includes Orange Winter Fire Festival farmers, producers, local chefs, cooks, This three-day festival showcases the best of restaurateurs and caterers in a variety an authentic country winter through a series of activities including F.O.O.D. HQ, Night of bonfire events inspired by the Australian Markets, Autumn Grazing Dinner, Sunday cracker night bonfire tradition. Enjoy chargrilled Producers Market and Brunch and a host feasts and rich red wines under the region’s of other events. expansive starry night skies or huddle up next to a fireplace in one of the country pubs or www.adayonthegreen.com.au restaurants and enjoy a blazing Sunday lunch. www.orangewinterfirefestival.com.au Millthorpe Garden Ramble Located just south of Orange, the Millthorpe Garden Ramble runs on the first weekend of November. It showcases a variety of gardens including sweeping landscapes, creative outdoor living areas, veggie plots, small nooks and special places for children, with the opportunity to see heritage homes around the village. www.facebook.com/millthorpegardenramble/ PagePage A 8 || Fresh Fodder Fresh Fodder is a small and proud producer of 5 Local Produce handcrafted dips, salads, meals and bruschetta breads in Orange. Their philosophy of exhibiting Favourites wonderful flavours and good value for money makes their dips perfect for entertaining, especially their Taramosalata – The Gangster Dip. For stockists visit their website. BiteRiot www.freshfodder.com.au The Hall family have been growing world- class fruit in the rich volcanic soils at the The Second Mouse Cheese Company foot of Mt Canobolas for over 40 years. Kai Woltmann’s passion for cheese started in his The orchard is open to the public once a home country of Germany but he only began year during F.O.O.D Week, as part of the cheese making when he moved to Australia. Apple Ramble. Cherries are available for With his wife, he makes a full range of cheese purchase as part of the farm gate program like camembert, blue, haloumi, quark and feta during cherry season between November using local products and are available at the and mid-January and the 100% cherry Orange Farmers Market and Agrestic Grocer. juice can be purchased from the farm gate all year round. secondmousecheeseco.com.au 448 Canobolas Road, Orange 02 6365 3377 Hillside Harvest Chocolate On Purpose Hillside has a long history of producing quality Chocolate On Purpose handcraft fine fruit in the Orange region. Their 75-acre chocolate using ingredients sourced from property produces many varieties of cherries, Aboriginal communities, local farmers and apples, pears, stone fruits and berries. You can producers of Central Western NSW. Their purchase their produce directly from the Farm range of chocolicious gifts is available at May Store or join them from November through to Raechelle Art Gallery in Millthorpe.