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The results of the 2022 Orange Wine Show were announced at an industry lunch on Thursday 29th September. Wines of the Orange region have a unique style as a result of the local cool-climate, volcanic soils and altitude.
The modern Orange wine industry began to develop in the early 1980s and now has over 1500ha of wine grapes being grown on some 80 vineyards. Over 40 wine labels are now available in the region.
Orange Wine Show Chairman of Judges, Adam Walls (Wine Selectors) spoke about the maturation of the Orange Wine Region.
“The Orange Wine region is moving into an exciting phase of driving continuous improvement. In the past decade there has been an influx of viticulture expertise and a younger generation of winemakers both maturing in region and moving to the region, that are pushing the quality boundaries,” Walls said.
“Comparing the quality of wine from last year’s show you can see improvement across the board, especially in wine making quality.
“It’s certainly an exciting atmosphere when you get to Orange with smaller, newer wine makers and vignerons who are really excited about pushing the region in a new direction.
“Wine quality across the board was very high. Sparkling was very good and generally is a strong suit of Orange Wine. Riesling and Chardonnay were also strong this year, Chardonnay has always performed well in Orange, the work that has gone into vineyards is very evident from the quality of the Chardonnay, but it’s great to see more people doing Riesling and seeing how winemakers adapt to this is exciting.
“The cooler red vintage of ’21 made for some bright, mid-way reds with Pinot winning the reds. Wine makers in the region are very excited about Pinot and this year’s entries were the best pinots I’ve seen out of Orange.”
2022 Orange Wine Show Trophies
Best Wine of the Show
Byrne Farm 2021 Chardonnay
Best White Wine of the Show
Byrne Farm 2021 Chardonnay
Best Red Wine of the Show
Swinging Bridge 2021 Caldwell Lane Pinot Noir
Best Exhibitor of the Show
Swinging Bridge Wines
Wine of Provenance
Swinging Bridge 2021, 2019 + 2011 Caldwell Lane Block A Chardonnay
Best Single Vineyard
Byrne Farm 2021 Chardonnay
Special Chairman’s Award
Swift 2011 Blanc de Blancs
Best Sparkling
Gilbert 2016 Blanc de Blancs
Best Riesling
Cooks Lot 2022 Allotment 333 Riesling
Best Sauvignon Blanc
Ross Hill 2021 Pinnacle Sauvignon Blanc
Best Young Chardonnay
Byrne Farm 2021 Chardonnay
Best Older Chardonnay
Swinging Bridge 2017 Hill Park Chardonnay
Best Pinot Gris/Grigio
See Saw Organic 2022 Pinot Gris
Best Alternative White
Tamburlaine 2022 Wine Lovers Gewürztraminer
Best Rosé
Mayfield Vineyard 2022 “Five Rows” – Rosé
Best Pinot Noir
Swinging Bridge 2021 Caldwell Lane Pinot Noir
Best Shiraz
Swinging Bridge 2021 Shiraz
Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Angullong 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Mature Red
Carillion 2013 The Volcanics Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Alternative Red
Angullong 2021 Fossil Hill Montepulciano
Cellar Door of the Year
Swinging Bridge
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