Fast approaching is vintage 2021.
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Grape growers all throughout Orange are seeing it as the step forward in order to get back on top of things.
We all know the story, fires and drought lead to minimal or no production last vintage leaving viticulture in a state of financial distress and emotional heartbreak.
Moving forward a pandemic lead the Australian government to the Jobkeeper scheme.
Something that ironically gave a lifeline to the industry that would otherwise be scratching its head to find a source of income for survival.
Rain has now arrived, providing much-needed water for vines that were seriously distressed.
Yields will perhaps be down as vines still recover from the past few years of drought and a cooler summer leads to concerns over ripening.
The list of things that can go wrong in the vineyard appears endless.
Doom and gloom though are not the order of the day, with a whole lot of upside coming over the next few years.
The solid rainfall over the past few months has brought life back into the region, hope for vignerons, opportunity for winemakers.
It is as if a new beginning for the Orange region has started.
Wine makers or renowned Will Rikard-Bell and Jeff Byrne look to establish their vineyards from scratch, new cellar doors, fresh ideas compounding the wave of the next generation of Orange wine makers.
Nadja and Steve Mobbs look to reinvigorate an older vineyard with new ideas.
Thoughts of Chenin Blanc and world class riesling will hopefully be venturing forth from their vines in a few years' time.
Mitch Svenson pushes the alternate to classic De Salis styles with the edgy Olaf Knight, already being served up alongside some delicious offerings at the newly hatted Union Bank's Schoolhouse restaurant.
Luke Steele establishes the next generation for Ross Hill wines as they will look to enter an ever-changing world with their green practices well established up front loud and proud.
It is certainly all exciting as Orange prepares to put its stamp on another decade of hopeful excellence and breaking new boundaries and ideas.
David Collins is the restaurant manager and sommelier at Charred, he has been studying wine and the wine industry for several years and will write a wine column for the Central Western Daily every second Saturday.
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