Pinot Noir Blossoms In Orange

Elevating the status of the Orange Wine Region

The gold medal winners in the pinot noir class at the National Wine Show in Canberra usually come from an exclusive club of cool, southern wine regions, such as Tasmania, the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula. But this year there was an interloper, from Orange.

Colmar Estate’s 2018 Block 1 Pinot Noir has gained its fair share of attention in recent months, having picked up three trophies at the 2019 Orange Wine Show, including Best Wine of Show, and the trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the 2019 Winewise Small Vignerons Awards. But its gold medal at the 2019 National Wine Show, announced on Saturday, is the jewel in the crown according to the owner of Colmar Estate, Bill Shrapnel.

“No pinot noir from Orange had ever won a gold medal at the National Wine Show, until now. This is a major step forward for our wine region” Mr Shrapnel said.

Daniel Shaw, winemaker at Philip Shaw Wines, is also breaking new ground with pinot noir – the 2018 Philip Shaw No8 Pinot Noir taking out the trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the 2019 New South Wales Wine Awards last month.

“Until now it’s been assumed that Australia’s best pinots will inevitably come from southern latitudes. But there are two routes to a cool climate – you can head south, or you can head up. The Orange Wine Region is defined by altitude” Mr Shaw said.

Orange wineries have exceptional terroir to work with, starting with its striking elevation - at 600m to 1150m above sea level it is the highest wine region in Australia. As less than 1% of vineyards in Australia sit above 600m, the Orange region offers unique opportunities for viticulture.

The better sites for pinot noir in the Orange Wine Region are at elevations of 900-1000 metres above sea level. Climactically speaking, pinot noir grapes here can be grown in similar conditions to those in the French region of Burgundy, the ancestral home of pinot noir.

Local winemaker Chris Derrez, who hails from Burgundy, tasted barrel samples of the 2019 vintage pinot noirs from across the Orange Region last week. “Pinot noir from Orange is coming of age” he said. The early wines from the region were very fine, delicate, pretty pinots. I used to think of them as ballerinas. But as our vines age and with improved viticulture the wines are gaining colour, weight and depth of flavour” Mr Derrez said, ““I’m very excited about the future for pinot noir in the Orange Region” he said.