The Auswine Forum

I have some time free (I think) on the afternoon of Easter Saturday.
Who would you recommend visiting around the Orange District, NSW?

My palate is chablis and burgundy centric so I buy very little Australian wine nowadays but I have tried a couple of wines from Orange that I liked, courtesy of a mate who makes an annual trip to Orange. He targets lesser known wineries with no or very limited retail distribution and thought Rikard and De Salis were worth drinking. In particular, I very much liked the Rikard Black Label chardonnay he opened last year over dinner. De Salis has a wide range but the pricing there seems to have become ambitious - every sparkling over $100. But a chardonnay I tried a couple of years ago courtesy of my mate was enjoyable.

Colmar estate. Macquariedale also worth a squizz, as is Cook’s lot.

Printhie Wines is worth a look, if only to check out the sparkling wines released under their Swift label. Seriously good wines, a number of which have spent significant time on lees. At the risk of sounding like (or actually being) a name dropper Ed Carr put me onto them a few years back when I asked him at a tasting which other Australian producers he thought were doing good things in the sparkling space at that time. Printhie / Swift were one of the producers he mentioned.

Thanks for the feedback, all. I'll research these suggestions and see which works best. I'll try for two if I can, it might depend what time the rehearsal finishes on the Saturday (music festival) !

We (NSW IWFS) ran a tour to Orange last year. We were impressed with the sparkling wines from De Salis, Swinging Bridge and Printhie.

Rickard focus on higher altitude / ultra cool styles, so if you prefer the precision, higher acid wines then they're a great bet.

Bloodwood make one of the better cabernets in the region, and a visit to their cellar door / home is well worth it - albeit you'll need to book.

I've generally enjoyed the more premium Philip Shaw offerings, and their pinots age well - as do the Cabernet Franc wines from Ross Hill (Pinnacle series). I've had 10+ year old bottles of the latter which drink incredibly, similar to Saumur / Chinon of a similar age, especially if you enjoy the capsicum/menthol twist which you often get.

Sounds like you won't have time, but the restaurant at Printhie was the culinary highlight of the trip.

So here are the notes...

4 ORANGE WINERIES - APR-26 - Orange, NSW (4/04/2026)

Orange seems only really to have been around as a serious wine region since the 90s. The trick with the ‘Orange’ GI is that it includes only land that is more than 600m above sea level. The attraction is the volcanic soils around Mt Canobolas. Unsurprisingly, they’re a pretty serious bunch when it comes to making wine. I’ve no commercial ties to anyone in the industry here – I was just a rock-up punter. Well, I say ‘rock-up’, but the three wineries I visited out on-site all seemed to demand advance booking (with fee) on their websites.
Printhie Wines
Big, flashy cellar door. Nice place to spend time. Pretty schmick restaurant next door too, which I really couldn’t justify solo with the family back home! Lots of wine, but only eight base level wines - two ‘Swift’ sparklings, six ‘Topography’ - offered for a ($15 non-refundable) tasting to non-members. Big Plumm glasses, decent pours, very knowledgeable staff (I’m talking to a serving contemporary with a DipWSET who shares my obsession with serving wine at the right temperature!). Beyond the tasting wines poured, single vineyard Burgundian varietal wines are $75, vintage sparklings $70-$150, premium varietals are $95, so prices are fair value these days for such a boutique region. Committing to two dozen a year gets you 15% discount. Wines listed below were served in pairs for comparison purposes. The ‘Super Duper Shiraz’ was a freebie ‘thrown-in’ because the server & I are both WSET-types, and I was taking notes & spitting, not visiting a cheap bar. In retrospect, this ‘Topography’ range is actually very good value for the quality on offer, if you’re a little bit selective.

• NV Printhie Swift Cuvée Brut #17 - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {12.5%, $52} The #17 disgorgement of this cuvee. 50/50 of chard & PN. Five years on lees. Mostly based on the 2019 vintage. Marginally developing nose, but austere and minerally. Crunchy apple flavours, and that quartz sense; not much evidence of lees time. Dry, medium acid, medium-sized creamy bubbles. Light/medium weight and medium length. It’s a fair fizz for the money, even if it leaves you wanting a bit more interest.
• NV Printhie Swift Brut #15 Rosé - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {12.5%, $52} Cuvee #15. 67% pinot, mostly 2019 vintage, three years on lees. Not a hint of pink in the colour; all yellowish. A little rose-petal on the restrained nose. A sense of pinot fruit on the palate, but it’s pretty lean; the bubbles are much larger than the regular cuvee and the shorter lees time manifests almost as a certain crudeness. It’s light/medium in weight, dry, with a short/medium length finish. Feels rather bitty, to be honest. Not competitive at the same price as the previous wine.
• 2024 Printhie Topography Andesite - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.7%, $40} Second vintage only of this Edelzwicker-style effort. Mostly Riesling, with lesser gewurz and pinot gris. Big nose of gw spice, mineral & pear. Dry palate, with a skin-texture quality about it; fleshy, medium weight. Melon, spice, hint of tropical fruit. Needed more Riesling for structure I reckon. No oak, medium acid, medium length. Much better than the straight PG in my view, but still not quite adding up to the sum of its parts. Drink soon.
• 2023 Printhie Chardonnay Topography - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13%, $40} A chunk of whole-bunch ferment, oaky, with full malo. Buttery & vanilla nose, but not aggressively so. Medium acid, medium weight. Yellow, squash-like flavours, nicely balanced, medium weight, medium acid. Better than I’ve made it sound. Medium/long finish, with even palate presence. Terrific for the price.
• 2024 Printhie Wines Pinot Gris Topography - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.3%, $32} Skin-derived pale onion colour. Nose of ginger and pear. Low/medium acid and medium weight. Palate is mild pear, more texture and weight than flavour, short/medium dry finish. The least convincing wine of this line-up for me.
• 2022 Printhie Pinot Noir Topography - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.5%, $40} Youthful nose of petals, roses, musk, and a little bit of meat. Follows through on the light-bodied palate which avoids overt fruit flavour, managing to leaven it with medium acid and low/medium dusty tannins. Even palate, nicely balanced, medium length finish. Very good value, it must be said. Should improve for another five years at least.
• 2024 Printhie Cabernet Sauvignon Topography - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 14%, $40} Green herby notes, some blackcurrants. Medium weight, low/medium powdery tannins. A quite delicate cabernet with a medium length finish and the promise of gentle, subtle aging. Authentic and impressive.
• 2022 Printhie Shiraz Topography - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13%, $40} Black & blue fruit with smoky oak. Doesn’t wear a cool-climate identity too overtly. Medium weight, low/medium dusty tannins. Plush, furry sort of texture, with an even palate that gives it an impressive finish, Five more years will be better. Hard to accept the following Super-Super flagship is more than twice the price of this.
• 2022 Printhie Syrah Super Duper - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.2%, $95} This shows a lot of the same characteristics as the standard ‘Topography’ bottling, but with a bit more intensity, longer oak aging (and more new oak influence). No sign of spearmint green which can infect cool climate wines. Medium/full weight, medium dusty tannins. Blue-edged fruit, mostly, with minimal pepper but creamy oak. Medium/long finish. Handsome wine; at more than double the standard bottling the value is not quite there, although it’s a fair match for a lot of similarly-priced wines, I must admit.

de Salis
Business established in 1999, with fruit coming from a couple of north-facing vineyards (Lofty and Forest Edge) at 1000 metres, mostly planted around 35 years ago. This was the only vineyard where it seemed my booking was necessary – the place was crawling with people tasting when I arrived at 12.30. Inside/outside arrangement, half in the winery, half on the deck in the sun. Great views. Very big plumm glasses, informed staff happy to discuss wines in detail. Again, writing and spitting brought me a bonus taste of the flagship pinot. A commitment of as little as 6 bottles a year seems to get you 20% off the prices below, although I wonder if that’s reflected in their fairly steep level to start with? $20 tasting fee. A big range of three-figure-$ sparklings were not on tasting.

• 2025 De Salis Wines Riesling - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 11.5%, $75} German clones, wild yeast, foudre aging, 8g of RS. A touch sulphurous I thought, some peach and even apricot aromas. I’d call it off-dry, with medium/high acid, light-bodied but with a slightly furry texture. Some peach and citrus flavours, no apple though. Short/medium length finish; didn’t seem to have much presence from the mid-palate back. Not especially Germanic, nor very convincing, especially at the price.
• 2023 De Salis Wines Sauvignon Blanc Wild Fume - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.7%, $45} Bright green tinge to the hue. Asparagus, grass and some smoky oak. Tangy palate with medium/high acidity. Here the tropical fruit dominates the flavours, with oak slipping into the background. Light/medium weight, short/medium finish.
• 2023 De Salis Wines Sauvignon Blanc Lofty Fumé Blanc - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.7%, $55} Barrel selection from the Lofty vineyard. Very different fume blanc to the ‘Wild’ bottling; there are nuts and figs here, sandalwood, lees and malo characters. Could easily be mistaken for a chardonnay, quite honestly. Still nicely acidic, medium/full in weight, dry on the medium length finish, with plenty of presence on the mid palate. Well worth the extra $10, if you are OK with the style change.
• 2023 De Salis Wines Chardonnay - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.6%, $70} Plenty on the nose here; oak, brine, vanilla, butter, grapefruit. Medium weight, with subtle oak flavours and low-level grape skin tannins. Grapefruit on the palate. Medium weight, medium length finish. Tidy wine that wants a little time, although seems expensive for what it is.
• 2023 De Salis Wines Rosé - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.7%, $55} The palest of onion-skin colour. Earthy pinot nose, brown leaves, withering rose petals. Surprising amount of oak on the palate. Nutty, earthy, with lees and malo characters. Low in acidity, medium in weight, and with low dusty tannins and a shirt/medium length finish. It’s a long way from an easy-drinking rose, that’s for sure. For me it feels a bit like a resting place for second rate fruit, to be honest.
• 2022 De Salis Wines Pinot Noir - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.4%, $55} Light garnet. Floral and fruity with rose petals. Hint of earth and oak, though; it’s not just a simple fruit drink despite being the entry level pinot. Have the eight constituent clones contributed to that? Medium acidity, light dusty tannins, roses and Turkish delight flavour. Soft smoky oak. Light/medium weight, medium length finish. Five more years’ aging will be fine.
• 2022 De Salis Wines Pinot Noir Lofty - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.4%, $75} Six clones off the Lofty vineyard. Some whole-bunch ferment and 25% new oak. Darker colour than the Estate wine, but similar floral and earth aromatics, albeit with more concentration and depth. On the palate there’s more spice and pepper and black-edged fruit. Medium dusty tannins and medium weight. Even palate, and a medium length finish that outshines the cheaper wine considerably. Eight-ten more years will be helpful.
• 2022 De Salis Wines Pinot Noir Lofty - Red Label - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.4%, $150} Black fruits and earth, tar, roses, a caramel touch. Intense flavours, medium weight, with classy but subtle oak. Low powdery tannins. Intense in a polished, restrained way. Medium-long finish. Very good, but maybe not quite worth double the standard ‘Lofty’ bottling. Cellar for 8-10 years.
• 2022 De Salis Wines M - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $65} Plummy blue fruit and spice. 93% Merlot with Franc the balance. Medium weight and acid, with low/medium dusty tannins. Nicely ripe palate of plums with dark chocolate/cocoa. Oddly for merlot, it’s a bit absent on the mid-palate, despite an otherwise medium length finish. Maybe five to eight years cellaring will help.

Rikard
Small operation high up on the volcano slopes. Decent glasses, smart staff. Non-refundable $20 fee, 10-15% discount on pricing below if you join the list for 1-4 cases a year. Tasting in the covered external apron of the winery itself, with great views over the countryside. Only a few folks here during my visit, but then it is relatively out-of-town compared to most of the regional cellar doors. Seems a much smaller operation as well.

• 2024 Rikard Riesling - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12%, $37} Some apple on the nose, but also earth, dirt and sulphur. Off-dry, with medium/high acidity but light bodied. A mix of winemaking techniques (steel, oak, lees, the lot) seems to have given this a confused sort of personality. Tastes very earthy, with a sugar hit. Not convincing.
• 2022 Rikard Riesling Black Label - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.3%, $60} Lots here – way better than the younger wine. Ewe have lemon/lime, chalk, minerals, apples. Dry, with medium acid, there’s a hint of texture from some old oak. Palate is more about texture than flavour at this stage. Light-bodied, with a short/medium length finish. Likely in a bit of a bit, but I think this will improve over a few more years.
• 2023 Rikard Chardonnay - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.5%, $47} Yellow fruit, melons, mild oak, malo buttery character. Low dusty tannins, medium/high acidity. Oak and acid on the palate, textured sort of mouthfeel, Stonefruit flavours coming through. Still a bit unyielding – needs time. I thought this – from a slow-ripening late vintage - a better wine than the older premium cuvee following it. Give it five years.
• 2022 Rikard Chardonnay Black Label - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.5%, $65} A barrel selection from the cool, damp vintage. Oak, matchstick and fleshy white fruit. A lot of vanilla & malo on the palate. Medium/full weight, medium acid, medium length finish. Rides a bit on the oak though. Best drunk soon I think.
• 2023 Rikard Pinot Noir - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.8%, $52} Lots of whole bunch ferment here. Floral aromas with bright red berries. Spice too. Gentle furry tannins, medium acid. Light-bodied but more texture than you expect. Red fruit flavours, medium length finish.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... e=12478162]2023 Rikard Pinot Noir Black Label[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.8%, $75} Earth and spice, mulberry, malty oak. Medium weight & acid, low/medium powdery tannins. Serious palate of soil and black tea. Overt fruit on the palate is somewhat masked. Medium/long, even finish says it wants time. Worth the extra money over the regular bottling.
• 2022 Rikard Shiraz - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 13.1%, $60} Black pepper, tobacco & spice. All the hallmarks of cool-climate NSW shiraz. Medium acid, lowish oak wis. Medium weight, medium length finish. Piquant peppery fruit, star anise, blackberry. A savoury quality – no chocolate here. Medium length finish, decent presence along the tongue. Five more years should see improvement.
• 2022 Rikard Cabernet Franc/Merlot/Malbec Orange - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, 12.5%, $50} Soft aromatic currents, spicy blueberry fruit. Low oak, medium dusty tannins. Medium weight & acid. Ripe spicy and blue-edged palate, but not without a rustic edge. 50% Franc, the other grapes evenly split. Still improving.
• 2021 Rikard Blanc de Noirs - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {12.2%, $70} Four years on less (disgorged last Nov). Nose of yeast and glue. Earthy quality too. Faint flavours of bubblegum, roses, but without the colour to match! Medium-sized bubbles, medium acidity, but only really light-bodied overall. Not much autolysis character on the palate. Dry, medium length finish. Needs a bit of time, clearly.

Tamburlaine
Now with a cellar door in the main street of Millthorpe. Most of the wines are Orange-sourced these days, with just a few bottlings (semillon, shiraz) harking back to the foundation days in the Hunter. Almost a wine bar operation, this is, with over 30 wines for sale. Three ranges of wines, although even the top Reserve range is only in the $40-60 bracket. $15 or $20 tasting brackets, although things were a bit mixed around this weekend, with extended opening hours and the opera festival in town. Informed staff, decent big glasses, quite generous pours. After Rikard, especially, I was struck by how young everything was here; there’s not much chance for development of ’24 reds! Overall value for the Reserve and ‘Point 65’ wines is pretty good (I didn’t try the basic offerings).

• 2024 Tamburlaine Gewürztraminer Point 65 - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $30} Rose-petal, spice and a hint of petrol. Fresh rosewater palate, not too oily – decent acidity. Light/medium weight, medium length finish, dry.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Chardonnay Point 65 - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $30} Mild nose; nuts, melon. Understated. Light/medium weight. Subtle stone-fruit flavours, easy on the oak, short/medium finish. Easy-drinker.
• 2025 Tamburlaine Riesling Reserve - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $40} Seashell & brine with faint lime note. Polished palate of some power. Stones and rocks at the moment. Medium weight, crunchy-dry, medium length finish. Wants five years at least.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Chardonnay Reserve Orange - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $40} Reductive sulphur, melon, hint of mango. Medium acid, dusty low oak tannins. Juicy tropical-fruit palate with supporting oak but always dry. Medium weight, medium length finish. Very young.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Grenache Point 65 - Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Goulburn Valley
  {screwcap, $30} The highest planted grenache in the country, apparently. Fruit-driven bubblegum and blueberry. No issue with ripeness, then. Little oak, low grainy tannins contribute to the rustic-edged palate, plus there’s some exotic liquorice. Lively wine of medium weight and length.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Shiraz Point 65 - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
  {screwcap, $30} “Block 12” to be precise about the name. Spice and earth. Lots of Hunter black plums, medium/full in weight, with medium/high astringently gritty tannins, rust and dust on the even and medium length palate. Too young to drink now, but it’s unlikely ever to be great. Three-five years should settle it down.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Syrah Orange Reserve (Members) - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $48} White pepper and blackberry. Spicy on the palate too. Ticks all the medium boxes; bright fruit also. Hard to judge this young. Give it time.
• 2024 Tamburlaine Cabernet Franc Reserve - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange
  {screwcap, $48} A bit herbaceous initially, this; tomato leaf and asparagus drown some blueberry fruit. Medium/high acid, but medium gritty tannins; there’s little overt oak and the green notes aren’t nearly so apparent on the medium weight palate. Eventually spice & blue fruit emerge; medium length finish. Should be good in the shorter term.