The festival is a celebration of the Orange region’s wide variety of wine and will be held over two weeks and three weekends, stretching from October 17 to November 2.

Booklets are available from many cafes and restaurants around Orange, and festival chair Michelle Stivens, from Heifer Station, said there were many events to look forward to, including the annual Orange Wine Show Tasting and the new Wander Wine and Dine.

“The public tasting on Saturday the 18th at Orange Showground is a great event. It has been moved from Friday to Saturday so people from Sydney can make it up. All wines in the festival are there, so people can taste the wines from the Orange region in one place,” Ms Stivens said.

“The Wine in the Vines trail, which is the country version of Wander Wine and Dine, allows patrons to meet the winemakers who are making the wines. A lot of our vineyards are family-run, so it gives them an opportunity to meet the families behind the labels.”

Ms Stivens said the recent Taste Orange at Sydney event in Martin Place, which wrapped up on Friday, was a good example of the popularity of Orange food and wine.

She said tickets for Wine Festival events were on sale during the event, and within 24 hours, $10,000 worth of tickets had been sold to keen city dwellers.

“Residents of Orange have a sense of pride in their region, and the festival is a great chance for them to show Orange off to their relatives,” Ms Stivens said.

“I think Orange is becoming much more sophisticated in regards to our cafes and restaurants. We have some fantastic chefs located in Orange and we’ve really got something Sydney-siders are interested in.”

For more information about any of the events, or to purchase tickets visit www.tasteorange.com.au/winefestival.htm. 

alexandra.king@fairfaxmedia.com.au