Husband and wife vineyard owners Steve Mobbs and Nadja Wallington are celebrating after being named in the top 50 for the Young Gun of Wine Awards.
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The awards showcase wine making talent and is open to young wine labels and winemakers on the rise.
The couple bought their ChaLou Wines vineyard at Emu Swamp in 2020, made their first vintage in 2021 and have opened a cellar door.
"We are a new brand, we only launched in October last year," Mrs Wallington said.
However, she said they have been making wine in the Orange region since 2014 and they both grew up in winemaking families.
ChaLou Wines was one of only three brands in NSW to be selected for the top 50. The other NSW wine labels are Sabi Wabi and Briar Ridge, both located in the Hunter Valley.
The majority of the top 50 comes from Victoria and South Australia.
"It's pretty exciting to be recognised for our own brand," Mrs Wallington said.
"We started at [Charles Sturt University - Wagga Wagga], he started in 2006 and I started in 2008.
"Our ambition is to really create world-class wines and we believe Orange is [positioned] really well to do it."
Mrs Wallington said they have already sold out of their Estate Range of wine and the two varieties they are most recognised for are pinot and riesling,
The People's Choice Award and the winners of the six trophies - the Young Gun of Wine, Best New Act, People's Choice, Winemaker's Choice, Danger Zone, and the Vigneron - will be announced on June 6.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
