No rain, you know your yield is going to be awful, you don't want to irrigate, but you just might have to. Then there are fires, with fire comes smoke, with smoke comes issues. Many are forced to throw the majority of the fruit they do have, financial ruin seems inevitable. Now advance another 12 months.

Rain has come, fires are hopefully a nonevent, this may be an amazing vintage.

You need it to be an amazing vintage, bills need to be paid, this is our life blood.

People are travelling regionally, they are spending money, finally a little bit of luck.

Meanwhile on a restaurant floor in Orange a customer calls me over.

"Can I ask you a question? Why are all the cellar doors charging tasting fees, it doesn't seem right, what if i don't like the wine?"

Normally at this point in time my best response is merely blinking, but it is followed up by more questions.

"Plus my daughter wanted to have her hen's on a wine tour, going around all the vineyards and doing tastings, but they either wanted them to pay or weren't interested."

I reply again through shocked blinking.

Novelty straws and smuggled in vodka cruisers along with bad manners and clicking fingers have no place in cellar doors.

Cellar doors have to be staffed, those staff need to be paid. Glasses need to be washed, safe COVID practices need to be followed.

What you are consuming before is an agricultural product, that has taken effort, some love and whole lot of skill to get into a glass before.

No you don't have to like it, but thinking it is your god given right to turn up and consume it for free ignorant.

Over the past few months the cellar doors have been absolutely vital.

They are a draw card to the region, customers now arrive from Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra.

While the country sits in recession for the first time in a quarter of a century, our restaurants are full, it's a challenge to find a park in the main street, accommodation at B'n'Bs, hotels and motels are booked out, Orange is singing and the wine industry is playing a massive part.

The cellar doors should be cultivated, supported and encouraged to succeed.

Not slandered because they want to pay their staff and discourage people looking for free drinking experience at everyone else's expense.