February 2012
6 posts
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Marlborough shows its pedigree through Waipara...
25 gold medals over ten vintages, from wine shows across the globe, are a testament to the quality of Sauvignon Blanc made by New Zealand’s Waipara Hills. The latest release, the 2011 vintage, has a lot to live up to with such a pedigree.
The 2011 Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($20.90) is a blend of two of the key sub regions of Marlborough, including the vineyards grown on terraces...
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Orange F.O.O.D. Week celebrates 21 years
Orange F.O.O.D. Week celebrates its 21st birthday this year, making it one of the country’s longest running regional food and wine festivals.
The Orange F.O.O.D. Week was initially held in 1991 with a small number of visionary Orange producers and chefs, and eight winemakers. 21 years later, the 2012 festival will host six marque events with well over 70 dinners, lunches, tastings, presentations...
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Orange to launch ‘Wine & Food Guide’ at Sydney...
The winemakers of Orange, in partnership with the region’s food producers, will launch the 2012 ‘Orange & District Wine & Food Guide’ at the upcoming Sydney Cellar Door in Hyde Park on the 25th and 26th of February.
The inaugural guide encompasses six wine and food trails within the Orange region. These trails segment the Orange region into relaxed day trips from town and comprise the...
January 2012
12 posts
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Mudgee winemaker invites you to the ‘Tunnel of...
“And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above And I’m just high on the world Come on and take a Lowe ride with me girl On the tunnel of love” *
The Lowe ride continues with the latest ‘Tunnel of Lowe’ scheduled for February 18th. Lowe’s ‘Tunnel of Lowe’ dinner offers guests a wonderful food and wine escapade under a tunnel of vines, hosted by winemaker David Lowe.
“We are planning a...
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Sarantos Soft Press continues successful formula
In an increasingly competitive environment, Sarantos Wines continues to win over consumers with their flavoursome, textural and fruit focussed wines made from the free run juice of grapes grown in some of South Australia’s preeminent winegrowing regions.
The new wines comprise the 2010 Sarantos Soft Press Merlot ($14.99) and the 2011 Sarantos Soft Press Sauvignon Blanc ($14.99).
The latest...
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Lowe Wines joins Vines to Venues
Lowe Wines has recently announced that Vines to Venues will distribute its Lowe brand. Vines to Venues is a relatively new business that offers small premium winegrowers a personal, relationship focused route to market.
The team at Vines to Venues comprises wine industry professionals Nick Bacon and Andrew Jamieson, along with contributing chef and food scientist Rebecca Sutton, sommelier Emma...
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Bloodwood’s compromise to avoid economic disaster
When Stephen and Rhonda Doyle planted the first Riesling vines in Orange in 1984, it was clearly a leap of faith. Chardonnay was firmly established as the flavour of the decade in white varietals and their counterparts in South Australia were busy attracting the subsidy that attended the destruction of too many quality, low yielding old vines in South Australia.
Because of the structure of...
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Slow Summer Festival: The Year of the Dragon
The 2012 Slow Summer Festival got underway over the weekend with a very successful ‘Night Market’ staged in Post Office Lane and ‘A Day @ The Beach’ at Lake Canobolas.
Both events were well attended with the Lake Canobolas event attended by both the local community and visitors to the region, with great enthusiasm for the inaugural Slow Summer Dragon Boat Challenge.
Although the final two heats...
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The essence of Central Otago Pinot Noir
Central Otago is one of the premier regions in the world for growing Pinot Noir. Within this renowned wine region is the sub region of Bendigo, and it is from here that the latest release Mud House wines originate.
The new Central Otago wines include the 2010 Mud House Estate ‘Golden Terraces Vineyard’ Central Otago Pinot Noir ($36.00) and the 2010 Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir...
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The Pretender stakes its claim
On-going innovation in the vineyard has continued to pay dividends for Angullong with the release of the 2011 Angullong ‘The Pretender’ Savagnin ($25).
Angullong is situated on the southern border of the Orange wine region and, over the past few years has added to its already diverse range of varieties by planting and grafting a range of new alternative varieties. These trials include plantings...
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Slow Summer Festival: Post office lane night...
The 2012 Slow Summer Festival kicks off on Friday the 20th of January with the inaugural Post Office Lane Night Markets.
This is the first time that the markets are to be held in the centre of Orange, utilising the unique central business district to create a buzz of excitement for the launch of the Slow Summer Festival week.
The Night Markets promises to be filled with a bustle of activity and...
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Mudgee Winemaker set to be Future Leader
Lowe Winemaker Liam Heslop has recently been named one of 15 wine industry professionals to join the 2012 Future Leaders Program hosted by Wine Australia.
Future Leaders is an innovative program jointly initiated by ‘Wine Australia’, the ‘Winemakers’ Federation of Australia’ (WFA), the ‘Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation’ and ‘Wine Grape Growers’ Australia’.
The initiative is...
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Slow Summer Festival: Race & Taste Orange at the...
Orange Picnic Races is one of the region’s most popular race meets and the upcoming 2012 event promise to offer race-goers a thrilling day of pounding hooves, flashing silks, fashion, food and entertainment.
Taste Orange and Racing Orange have joined forces through the Slow Summer Festival to offer a fabulous VIP Area in the recently refurbished Thoroughbred Shed at Towac Park.
“This is an...
December 2011
9 posts
2 tags
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New whites showcase Mudgee’s cool heights
Mudgee’s Lowe Wines has recently released two new 2011 vintage wines, the 2011 Louee Chardonnay ($25) and 2011 Louee Riesling ($25). Both these wines are from Mudgee’s highest vineyard, Nullo Mountain that sits at an impressive elevation of 1100 metres.
The new vintage wines form part of Lowe’s single vineyard Louee Range. The Louee vineyard is located at Rylstone, on the south eastern boundary...
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Slow Summer Festival: Dragon Boats paddling for...
With the weather continuing to improve and the holidays looming, Orange’s Slow Summer Festival offers residents and visitors the chance to relax and enjoy a day of healthy outdoor entertainment at Lake Canobolas with ‘A Day @ the Beach’.
‘A Day @ the Beach’ is one of the major events of the 2012 Slow Summer Festival and features a raft of family amusement including the inaugural Dragon Boat...
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Three top winegrowers unite to bring awareness to...
Australian Verdelho was found to be ‘the alternative variety we already have’ according to a recent tasting panel for the Wine & Viticulture Journal. In an effort to bring more consumer awareness to this forgotten wine variety the three award-winning Verdelho winegrowers named for their 2011 vintage - Windowrie The Mill, Bleasdale Potts’s Catch and Tamburlaine organic wines – have banded...
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Orange Slow Summer Program: Junior Chef...
Momentum continues to build for the upcoming 2012 Orange Slow Summer Festival. With the release of the 2012 Slow Summer program, there has been growing interest in the broad range of events.
One of the key events for 2012 is the Junior Masterclassses. Hosted by renowned Orange chef Lindl Taylor, budding young cooks will have the opportunity to learn and be inspired by Masterchef winner Kate...
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Tasting the wines of Windowrie over Summer
Relaxing summer weekends in Cowra lend themselves to a light lunch and wine tasting at one of the region’s oldest buildings, the Windowrie Cellar Door.
Located right in the heart of Cowra, the 150 year old Mill will be opening over summer for lunches, coffee and wine tastings, as well as showcasing a broad range of the region’s fabulous local produce.
Visitors to the region can enjoy a piece...
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Burnbrae; one of Mudgee’s foundation winegrowers
Mudgee is one of Australia’s oldest wine growing regions. Wines have been made in this NSW region continuously since 1858. It was however during the 1960s that a renaissance took place, with the establishment of a number of family owned brands that extended the plantings.
The Burnbrae site was identified in 1968 for its viticultural advantages. Translating as ‘the sloping field down to a...
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Celebrate the holidays with Waipara Hills...
New Zealand’s Waipara Hills will once again be leading the holiday celebrations with their 100% pure, Southern Cuvée and Marlborough Cuvée.
These two sparkling wines capture the soul of the New Zealand’s south, with fresh, crisp and zesty expressions of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
The Waipara Hills winery is located in the idyllic setting of North Canterbury, on New Zealand’s South Island. The...
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Orange businesses lay plans to ease accommodation...
Key stakeholders within the Orange and surrounding region met today to discuss the management of the region’s short and long term accommodation crisis.
The extremely positive meeting brought together Orange City Council, Cabonne Council, Taste Orange, Newcrest Mining, Western NSW Local Health District (Mental Health), Charles Sturt University, University of Sydney, Central West Business Chamber...
November 2011
10 posts
3 tags
Slow Summer, A celebration of family, friends,...
The fourth annual Orange Region ‘Slow Summer’ promises a fabulous array of events for all the family. Running from the 20th to the 29th of January 2012, ‘Slow Summer 2012’ will be Central Range’s most exciting summer festival.
The key theme to Slow Summer 2012 is water, family and friends, and a healthy lifestyle. This theme will come to life through the broad range of family based activities,...
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Windowrie’s The Mill range, best of NSW
Windowrie has continued its very successful 150th year celebrations with a tranche of awards from Australia’s most respected wine magazine, Winestate.
The winery has recently received the following awards, positioning it as one of NSW’s best winemakers. The awards comprise:
‘Best New Release’
2011 Windowrie The Mill Cabernet Merlot
This ranking is given to the best ‘New Release’...
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Taste Orange is on the move
The Taste Orange office is moving to new premises.
From Monday 21 November, the Taste Orange team will be in their new office at 28A Sale Street in Orange
“We have grown out of our existing office,” commented Taste Orange Executive Officer, Rhonda Sear. “The Taste Orange office is the hub of Orange’s marketing, with constant activity and meetings with our partners. We wanted somewhere that...
3 tags
Millamolong Polo Club to help foreign aid...
The inaugural Millamolong Polo Club Spring Party, to be held on Saturday 19th November, is hoping to raise substantial funds for the club and its selected charities.
Earlier this year the club donated over $3000 to Starlight Children’s Foundation and Riding for the Disabled Australia (Orange Branch), from funds generated from the Autumn Polo Carnival.
“The Millamolong Polo Club Spring Party, to...
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Orange seeks partners to build future success
With the exciting development of the recently formed Orange Events Support Group, Taste Orange is calling out to businesses and brands to join with them to forge the ongoing success of this growing region.
There are multiple opportunities for business investment in the form of partnerships with the new Events Support Group.
“We are actively seeking expressions of interest from businesses, groups...
6 tags
Changes afoot at Taste Orange H.Q.
Taste Orange welcomes two new people to its team, with the recent announcement that Charlotte Gundry will commence as Marketing Manager and Helen Harper as Administration Manager.
Both Charlotte and Helen bring a wealth of experience to Taste Orange. Charlotte Gundry has spent the past five years as General Manager of Orange winery Mayfield Vineyard, where she covered a diverse role from sales...
Courtesy of the ABC Radio, Orange….
When...
October 2011
13 posts
7 tags
New distribution partnership for Lowe Wines and Z4...
Lowe Wines has recently entered into a new distribution partnership with ACT based wine distributor Z4 Wines.
The new agreement will see Lowe Wines distributed throughout the ACT as well as through the Southern NSW including the Southern Highlands by respected wine industry professional Bill Mason and the Z4 Wines team.
The launch of the Lowe wines with Z4 Wines will be at the renowned ‘Biota...
4 tags
Charity looks to help its own.
When an active sportsman suffers a horrendous injury in the sport he loves, the thoughts of future needs are far from his mind.
Such was the injury of Rocky Mileto. Fifteen years ago Rocky was injured while playing Rugby Union and is now confined to a wheelchair.
Over the years, Rocky has adjusted to his new life and given a great deal back to the sport he loves. However, with a growing family,...
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Orange develops ‘Event Support Group’
The Orange region event committees have reinforced their partnership with the development of a new and unique ‘Event Support Group’.
This new initiative will develop a single working platform from which to source, manage and lever sponsorship revenue in order to underwrite and enhance existing region events as well as develop future marketing initiatives.
The new Event Support Group (ESG) is a...
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A taste of Orange at the Wine Week Night Markets
Orange Wine Week comes to a head this Friday night (28 October) with the annual Orange Wine Week Night Market on McNamara.
The Night Market, which is proudly supported by Spiegelau, will once again take place in Robertson Part and McNamara Street between Summer and Byng Streets.
The festivities will kick off at 5.30pm and run through until 8.30pm.
“There is always a fantastic atmosphere at the...
3 tags
2007 Patina Reserve Chardonnay
Recently released 2007 Patina Reserve Chardonnay (Orange region)…. Reviewed on Winefront.com.au by Wine Companion Magazine Editor, Campbell Mattinson.
Oct 21 2011
“This was bottled three years ago and was deliberately held back because – according to Patina owner and winemaker Gerald Naef – “Orange chardonnay generally improves quite dramatically during its first few years in...
6 tags
Lowe Wines: NSW’s Best Organic Winemaker
Lowe Wines continues its streak of success with the announcement at the NSW Wine Awards of the 2009 Lowe Zinfandel receiving the ‘NSW Department of Primary Industries Award for Best Organic Wine’.
The 2009 Lowe Zinfandel was one of 30 organic wines entered in the NSW Wine Awards, which was a substantial increase on previous years.
This in the third trophy to be awarded to the 2009 Lowe Zinfandel,...
5 tags
Celebration for Windowrie’s 150 year old Mill
Saturday 29 October heralds the official celebrating of the Windowrie Mill’s 150th birthday.
The Mill was built in 1861 and opened amid great fanfare. The stone and timber building was an impressive construction that showed the optimism of the future of the region. After a chequered history, David and Wizz O’Dea and their family painstakingly restored the building.
In its 150th year, The...
3 tags
Saint & Sinner captures the attention of the...
Australian wines are mixing with the best of the best, with the Saint & Sinner Calling Card collection recently winning a prestigious 2011 Pentaward.
Winners were announced at an award ceremony, which took place in Times Square, New York on September 29, in a range of categories including beverages, food, body care and luxury.
Pentawards is the largest annual worldwide competition exclusively...
7 tags
Mud House Sauvignon awarded Best in Class at the...
The recently released 2011 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc has been presented with a prestigious ‘Gold –Best in Class’ award at one of the world’s most rigorous wine shows, the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) held in London.
The IWSC, which was founded over 40 years ago, aims to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirit and liqueurs.
The judging panels...
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The Patina that only age can achieve
In anticipation of Orange Wine Week, Patina Wines has released its Orange Region 2007 Patina Reserve Chardonnay and 2007 Patina Sauvignon Blanc Fumé.
Both wines have been cellared at Patina with the objective of releasing them with a number of years maturation. “Most wines are released very soon after vintage,” commented Patina owner and winemaker Gerald Naef. “We have been very conscious of...
5 tags
Two Trophies for the 2009 Lowe Zinfandel
Lowe Wines has been awarded the ‘Best Wine of the Show’ at the 2011 Australia / New Zealand Organic Wine Show with the recently released 2009 Lowe Mudgee Zinfandel.
The Australia / New Zealand Organic Wine Show was established in 2005 and is the only annual organic wine show dedicated to the judging and promotion of certified organic and biodymanic wines from Australia and New Zealand.
...