‘One to remember’, ‘world-class’ and ‘a classic vintage’. These are the winemakers’ reactions to the 2024 vintage in Orange.
The region experienced a quintessential cool climate season, with winemakers and grapegrowers alike excited about the prospects of the 2024 wines. From the lower vineyards around 600m to the higher elevations at 1000m, all varieties ripened beautifully, producing flawless fruit.
While ripening well, it was an early vintage which began in late January, with most vineyards completing harvest before the Easter long weekend.
The dryer winter leading into spring of 2023 allowed a great start to vintage with a strong and consistent bud burst across all varieties. The rainfall was below average for most of spring (see figure below), except for November which set up a perfect season, with ideal soil moisture profiles.
Temperatures during spring saw a higher-than-average mean (see figure below), giving the vines textbook growth and fruit set. However, the spring maximum temperatures remained under 30 degrees, with long sunshine hours, reflective of the best vintages of Orange. The region experienced no disease, flawless phenological ripeness with lower sugar levels and exceptional acid retention.
“November was quite wet so there was no shortage of water to limit the vines growth,” says Colmar Estate owner and vigneron Bill Shrapnel. “Summer was warm but not particularly hot, just the way vines like it. Our vineyard, which sits at an elevation of 980 metres, is set up so we can irrigate if the vines start to suffer in hot conditions, but there was no need this year.”
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling have excelled. Bill continues, “we conducted three picks of our chardonnay, trying to capture both the citrusy notes (early pick) and white peach characters (later pick) that chardonnay has to offer. That said, our riesling was right on the money, with full ripeness in both the pinot gris and gewurztraminer. Exciting prospects all round!”
Byrne Farm winemaker and owner Jeff Byrne experienced a similar vintage. “Vintage 2024 in Orange will be remembered as a ‘classic vintage’.
“For the first time since 2020 we enjoyed multiple days over 30 degrees during January and February, which lead to one of the earliest harvests on record and a short and sharp vintage in our winery. These ideal conditions helped return the vines back to an average crop load for 2024. The wines are showing loads of flavour with ideal ripeness across the varieties, while still holding a lovely line of acidity – very Exciting! I look forward to trying and collecting the region’s 2024 wines.”
“With an excellent yield across the region, the early assessment is that there are standout wines across the spectrum; from the whites such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay through to the broad range of reds including Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet. It will be a vintage to remember for all the right reasons. There will be some world class wines from Orange this vintage,” concludes ORVA President and Nashdale Lane Wines vigneron Nick Segger.
For further information, interviews and images please contact:
David Cumming at Define Wine Marketing & Communications: 0414 736 342 or david@definewine.com.au
Charlotte Gundry, Executive Officer at Orange Region Vignerons’ Association: info@orangewineregion.com.au
Nick Segger, President Orange Region Vignerons’ Association: 0458 127 333 or nick@nashdalelane.com
Orange NSW is home to Australia’s highest elevation vineyards. Less than 1% of vineyards in Australia sit above 600m, positioning the region as a truly unique viticulture destination. From the peak of Gaanha-bula (Mount Canobolas) to the slopes of the Towac Valley, the diversity in elevation allows for a wide range of varieties to be grown. There are currently over 80 vineyards and 35 cellar doors in the region.