By Levi J Parsons
SYDNEY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- After celebrating its 21st year as an official winemaking region, a small town called Orange has had tourists pouring in from all over the world recently to visit some of Australia's newest and most exciting vineyards.
Nestled about 250 km west of Sydney in the Central West of New South Wales State, the area sits in a basin between 600 and 1,400 meters above sea level and below Mt Canobolas -- an extinct volcano that erupted millions of years ago.
As a result, the region is littered with fertile, mineral rich soil that make it ideal for growing fruit.
"The thing that distinguishes wines from the Orange region is their varietal clarity," Strawhouse Wines owner Justine Byrne told Xinhua.
"They are very fine and very pure in their taste and the reason for that is the climate."
Although most of Australia's winemaking regions are quite warm, Orange is considered a "cool climate" area.
This gives the wine a softer, more elegant finish that closely resembles European styles.
"The region makes fantastic chardonnay because we have a range of altitudes so we can make a range of styles," Byrne said.
"At very high altitudes over 1,000 meters you can make very fine, almost flinty chardonnays where as at 800 meters you can make something that is a bit richer, but they are always very well defined full flavoured wines."
"Sauvignon blanc is another white variety that does well along with pinot gris."
When it comes to red varieties, pinot noir and shiraz are among the most acclaimed as the cool climate gives the varieties a subtle "spiciness" unlike other parts of the world.
The success of local winemakers is also translating into a boon for community businesses, with more international travelers visiting the town than ever before.
"In the past years, our international visitors have been backpackers who have been coming here to pick vegetables," Orange region tourism general manager Caddie Marshall said.
"But what we have seen in the last few years is more of the affluent, emerging middle class Chinese really wanting to travel out of Sydney and go on an adventure to see wide open spaces and amazing starry nights."
"Our vineyards and wineries have worked really hard over the last decade to build export relationships into China and what that has done is raise the profile of this region and now more and more people are wanting to understand and learn about where this fantastic wine comes from."
Although Orange was officially recognised 21 years ago, the colourful community has a much longer history when it comes to crafting vino.
Way back in 1946, a family of Italian immigrants made their way to the Central Ranges with six barrels of wine and some olive oil, to open a small shop.
Seven decades later, the D'Aquino family store is still open and serving the community.
"In the early days, they were sourcing grapes from various people throughout the area and they were producing wine and selling it around Orange," Highland Heritage Winery Cellar door manager at the Wellwood Estate Vineyard, Sue McGrade explained.
"But it wasn't until 1985 when the family purchased the Wellwood Estate Vineyard, that things really started to take off."
"That was 33 years ago and by Orange standards that's a very long time, so the D'Aquino family hold a very important place in the history of this region and the wine industry in Australia."
Despite the humble beginnings, business these days is thriving for the historic wine producers who still operate the estate.
"In the last few years there has been a big increase in visitors," McGrade said.
"We have coaches coming in from all over Asia and Europe."
"There are a lot Chinese, a lot of Vietnamese and also Indians and we tell them it doesn't matter which vineyard you visit here, they are all fabulous." Enditem
