With its trellis-decked outdoor spaces and exceptional variety of wines that speak to the particular terroir of the region, the cellar door at Swinging Bridge has quickly become an Orange institution.
Winemaker Tom Ward created Orange's first Swinging Bridge vintage in 2009 – the family's winemaking business orginally began in Cowindra in the '90s, which is generally a hotter, less favourable area for wine grapes to flourish – and hasn't looked back since. It's still a family-centric endeavour, with wines named after Ward's grandfather (the Mrs Payten chardonnay) his daughter (the Eliza reisling) and his father (the M.A.W. pinot noir). Nab an outdoor table if you can for a tasting session, and make sure you don't leave without trying the Tempinot, the cellar door's own combination of pinot noir and tempranillo grape varieties, which wash together in a smooth, aromatic blend.
If you're looking for a light lunch on your exploratory journey of Orange's cellar doors, set this one up for when the hunger kicks in. On Friday-Sunday, Swinging Bridge will prepare you a little picnic basket full of locally sourced produce for you to take out to the vineyards – the kind you'll want to linger over while you take in the sweeping views of nearby (dormant) volcano Mount Canobolas.