Country charm
Take a turn off Australia’s well-worn wine trail and you’ll discover the emerging wine region of Cowra, known for its full-flavoured wines, peaceful countryside and extraordinary history. It’s an important grape-growing region with a rising number of boutique wineries. Vines were first planted here in the early 1970s and today Cowra is home to more than 40 vineyards and a collaborative community of talented winemakers.
In New South Wales’ scenic Lachlan Valley, just over two hours’ drive from Canberra, Cowra is home to gently rolling hills, sweeping views and expansive skies. Its vineyards are planted around a scattering of charming towns, where you’ll find the region’s local produce on show – from olives and asparagus to some of Australia’s best beef and lamb.
This serene rural retreat of farmland, national parks and vineyards also plays an important role in Australian war history, marked by monuments, gardens and other memorial sites. During World War II, Cowra was home to a prisoner of war camp, and in 1944 a group of Japanese prisoners attempted the largest POW breakout in modern military history. A 5-hectare Japanese Garden – the largest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere – was opened in 1979 to commemorate the event and today it’s a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
Cowra wine: vibrant and diverse
A sense of kinship and collaboration permeates the Cowra community, and grapegrowers and winemakers work together to produce award-winning wines that reflect the region’s warm days, cool nights and diverse soils. You’ll find an impressive array of white and red wines here, including the classic, full-flavoured Chardonnay that put Cowra on the wine map. Earthy Shiraz bursting with ripe fruit flavours is the other regional hero, and there are also alternative varieties to explore, including Verdelho, Gewürztraminer and Sangiovese.
A number of producers in Cowra are championing sustainable viticulture and winemaking, including the region’s oldest winery, Windowrie Wines. Established in 1987, Windowrie continues to be run by the O’Dea family, who take a minimal-intervention approach to winemaking in their certified-organic winery, and grow grapes in their onsite vineyard, which they farm using organic practices. You can sample their vibrant wines in the cellar door, originally a flour mill built from local granite in the 1860s. Other noteworthy vineyards and wineries include Cowra Estate, Rothbury and Richmond Grove.
With its red and gold hues in autumn and spring Cherry Blossom Festival in September, Cowra is a great place to visit year round. The region prides itself on its country hospitality and array of things to do, from hiking and picnics in national parks, to watersports and hot-air ballooning, to adventures of the food and wine kind. As a wine region, Cowra continues to grow in importance, adding new stories of creativity and authenticity to Australia’s diverse wine scene.
In the 1990s, plantings expanded rapidly and today there are more than 1,500 hectares of land under vine. Orange sits between 600 and 1,150 metres above sea level on a sweeping contour, making it one of the highest vineyard areas in Australia. It’s dominated by the now extinct volcano Mount Canabolas, which erupted numerous times around 11 to 13 million years ago, giving the region its unique combination of geology and soils. Its elevation makes it quite cool and winter often blankets the vineyards in snow.
The top three most planted varieties here are Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but many would argue that Chardonnay is the star of the show. This versatile variety performs brilliantly at all of Orange’s elevations, and winemakers are producing a range of styles – from rich and buttery through to crisp, elegant and exceptionally refined.
Premium wines are only half the gourmet story here – Orange is a serious dining destination thanks to its award-winning restaurants and quality produce that partners perfectly with its elegant, food-friendly wines. It’s Orange’s unwavering pursuit of excellence that makes it an exciting region on the rise.
