The hottest form of travel in Australia right now is the humble road trip. And like bees to the honeypot, we’re making a beeline for Australia’s wine regions.
Just 3.5 hours from Sydney (a more substantial eight hours from Melbourne), Orange is one of the country’s highest altitude winemaking regions. With more than 60 cool-climate vineyards and 40 cellar doors, its signature pours are chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, though local winemakers are gaining a reputation for their experiments with altitude and soil types, bringing traditional ‘filler’ wine varietals cabernet franc and cabernet merlo to the fore.
Essentials recently joined a tasting webinar with Louella Matthews, head sommelier at Bibo Wine Bar in Double Bay, Sydney. Louella started her hospitality career in Orange before moving to Sydney, managing over 4000 wines at Rockpool Bar & Grill. A certified sommelier, she also regularly judges on the Australian Wine Show circuit.
We tasted the Swift Cuvee NV #7 from Printhie Wines and 2017 Hill Park Chardonnay from Swinging Bridge. The Swift Cuvee is a single-vineyard blend of hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed chardonnay and pinot noir. Zesty, fresh and fragrant, it’s a fun way to kick off Friday quarantinis, it has a lovely soft mousse – rather than explosive bubbles – and just enough breadiness to offset the floral, slightly lemony palette. An absolute winner.
The long-cellaring Hill Park chardonnay is winemaker Tom Ward’s flagship wine from Swinging Bridge, and gives every reason why the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) club is seriously missing out. Elegant with full body, there’s an unexpected, but delicious minerality to the wine that evens out any suggestion of an 80s-big-hair and-shoulder-pads chardonnay of yore. Structured and sophisticated, there was sadness when the bottle ended. Louella says chardonnay and cuvee work well with nutty foods: she suggests roasted hazelnuts or macadamias in a goat’s cheese ravioli with a burnt butter sauce.
TIP: As an apple-growing district, it makes sense Orange is staking a claim as a cider house hotspot. Check out the offerings from Cherry Bird and Sacred Valley Beverages, while Acres Cyder and Borrodell Winery both have cellar doors in Orange.
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