TWO sides of the Orange wine industry are on show this weekend with the trophy presentation dinner last night leading into the public tasting at the showground tonight as the annual wine festival gets into top gear.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The dinner marked the end of judging 260 wines made from grapes grown in the Orange district and the awarding of 12 trophies with the judging panel generally impressed with the quality.
A grand event with fine food and wine, the industry dinner was an opportunity for growers and wine makers to digest the judges’ comments and set new goals for next year.
It was chardonnay’s turn to impress the judges this year with class wins and the coveted best wine in show going to this variety, but the most important comment from the judges was that quality of Orange’s wines was steadily improving.
So much so that the chief judge observed that Orange chardonnays had earned a place on the wine list of fine dining restaurants.
There were notes of caution from the panel about acidity and the use of oak but plenty of encouragement too.
Riesling was highly rated as a variety with huge potential, as was pinot.
Tonight, a different crowd will approach the same 260 wines from another perspective. It will be a night for wine lovers certainly but they will be the consumers who normally pick the wines of Orange off shelves where they sit with plenty of Australian and international competition.
The many hundreds of people who squeeze into the showground pavilion will include residents who love the fact they live in a wine-growing district and can enjoy the local product as well as visitors enticed by a full week-long program.
They are all part of building the brand that is Orange wine.