Nicole Samodol was elected president of the organisation while Justin Jarrett will take on the vice-president’s role, following a unanimous vote in favour of the decision.

A second-generation vigneron at Rowlee Wines in Nashdale, Ms Samodol has been involved in the family’s viticulture and wine-making interests as the director of the company for the past 18 years. 

The role saw Ms Samodol oversee day-to-day operations at Rowlee part time, prior to leaving her banking and finance career to move from Sydney in 2016.

Stepping up from her previous role as vice-president, Ms Samodol said she’ll continue to work closely with the executive team of seven to represent the region through its affiliation with state and national bodies, including the NSW Wine and Australian Grape and Wine. 

“I am looking forward to promoting and advocating for the distinguished cool climate wines made with passion by our resident winemakers and grape growers,” she said.

Ms Samodol said part of the association’s priorities for 2019 was to promote Orange wine to restaurants and retailers outside of the region to increase its demand both around Australia and internationally.

She said the committee would continue its focus of moving towards more sustainable crops and practices through training and education about different varietals.

“This year we’ll also work with the DPI [Department of Primary Industries] to look at opportunities around innovation in the vineyard to improve the quality of fruit,” she said.

With planning under way for the fortnight of events which make up Orange Wine Festival in October, the new leader of the association responsible for pulling the program together said feedback from 2018 will be taken on board when decisions are made at their next meeting.

Ms Samodol holds a bachelor degree in business, a masters in Business Administration, and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She has held senior positions in the corporate sector and been involved in start-ups, small to medium enterprises, Australian Stock Exchange-listed, and not-for-profit organisations.