‘Exciting time for Orange wine’

Orange Wine Show chairman of judges Adam Walls said, “The step up in quality across the board is evident from last year to this year.

“The region’s passion, drive and collaborative atmosphere is working and the results in the quality of wine are apparent.

“It’s an exciting time for the Orange region.

“In the industry Orange is often spoken about as a region with potential but from the results it’s evident that Orange has moved past that now and has come of age, continuously pushing the quality of wines through increased skill in the vineyard and technique in the winery itself.

“It’s exciting to bear witness to a region showing the rest of NSW and Australia what it’s capable of.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed at how the Orange Wine Region have come together to elevate the region, the collegiate approach to continually improving everything they do is impressive and working.”

Adam said that Orange sparkling wine is really bringing a focus back to the region on a national stage.

“The bottle aged Méthode Traditionnelle wines we saw were fabulous, a real standout and very hard to inch out which one took the trophy from the golds that were given,” he said.

“Riesling was the same, the four golds we gave were a great representation of the style varieties the Orange region is showcasing.

“Chardonnay was another highlight, it’s clear a lot of winemakers have got the notion right in terms of when to pick, how to raise it in the winery and treat it with care, putting fruit purity and intensity first and foremost.

“Pinot was very good and picked up some great feedback from the judges.

“The one thing that really shone through across the board would be the 21’ vintage, especially in terms of Pinot, Chardonnay and Shiraz, it was great to see those wines with a couple of years of bottle age still looking radiant, fresh and bright.”

Best Single Vineyard
Robert Stein 2023 Half Dry Riesling

Special Chairman’s Award
Canobolas Wines 2022 Chardonnay

Best Sparkling
Colmar Estate 2015 Chardonnay Pinot Noir

Best Riesling
Robert Stein 2023 Half Dry Riesling

Best Sauvignon Blanc
Mayfield Vineyard 2023 Sophie’s Godmother Sauvignon Blanc

Best Young Chardonnay
Printhie 2022 Topography Chardonnay

Best Older Chardonnay
Swinging Bridge 2021 Caldwell Lane Chardonnay

Best Pinot Gris/Grigio
Angullong 2023 Pinot Gris

Best Bordeaux (Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & blends thereof)
Ross Hill 2022 Isabelle Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Best Pinot Noir
Swinging Bridge 2021 Hill Park Pinot Noir

Best Shiraz
Swinging Bridge 2021 William J. Shiraz

Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Tamburlaine Organic Wines 2022 Reserve Orange Cabernet Sauvignon

Best Mature Red
Tamburlaine Organic Wines 2018 Orange Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Best Red Variety or Blend
Angullong 2022 Fossil Hill Barbera

Cellar Door of the Year
Ross Hill Wines

Vigneron of the Year
Mark Pengilly

Photograph: Rhys Baker and Tom Ward from Swinging Bridge.