The 31 passengers disembarked at Orange Station for the three-day tour, which will take them to some of the region’s finest wineries and eateries. 

The Brisbane couple said they first began enjoying Orange’s top drops when they noticed them popping up on menus in their home city, and the Orange Wine Festival was the perfect reason to visit.

“We’ve noticed Orange Chardonnay and Shiraz in our local restaurants a lot more over the past 12 months,” Mrs Gelsomino said.

“We’ve driven through here before but this will be our first time visiting.”

Both from farming backgrounds, the couple said they were looking forward to visiting the Orange Farmers Market on Saturday.

“We love food and wine but we’re definitely not wine snobs,” Mrs Gelsomino said.

The group will attend the Orange Wine Show tasting at the Hotel Canobolas on Friday night, then head to Charred Restaurant and Bar for supper.