Best Wineries in Orange NSW: Cellar Doors for Every Kind of Weekend
Looking for the best wineries in Orange NSW? Don’t worry, we have it covered! Sitting within the Central Tablelands of NSW, Orange is one of Australia's most exciting cool-climate wine regions known for making Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling, alongside excellent sparkling wines and an increasingly interesting selection of reds.
Perhaps slightly lesser known than the infamous Hunter region, Orange has some of Australia’s best and most beautiful cellar doors and vineyards scattered around Mount Canobolas, a 3.5hour drive away from Sydney, making Orange one of NSW’s best destinations for a wine weekend.
But the best Orange winery for a long lunch isn't necessarily the one we'd choose with kids in tow – or for a romantic afternoon, girls' weekend or serious wine tasting. With that in mind, we've narrowed down the best Orange wineries and cellar doors by occasion, including the big names worth the hype, boutique producers, hidden gems and some newer additions to the Orange wine scene.
Better still, the Orange wine region is compact enough that you can visit several very different cellar doors over a weekend, so get booking!
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If you're looking for…
Best winery experience: Printhie Wines
Family-friendly winery: Heifer Station
Serious wine tasting: HOOSEGG
Girls' weekend: Rowlee Wines
Romantic cellar door: Swinging Bridge
Hidden gem: Strawhouse Wines
Winery accommodation: Nashdale Lane Wines
Classic Orange winery: Philip Shaw Wines
First visit to Orange? → Philip Shaw + Printhie + one smaller producer found here
Local Tip: The best time to visit the Orange wine region is during autumn (March to May), when the grape harvest is underway, however you will have fun no matter what time of year.
Best Orange Wineries for Families
Travelling with kids doesn't mean skipping Orange's cellar doors. Several wineries have large outdoor spaces, relaxed tastings and enough there to keep younger visitors entertained for hours. Nothing better than watching the kids run on the lawn while you kick back with a vino!
Heifer Station Wines
If you're looking for a family-friendly winery in Orange, Heifer Station is hard to beat.
Set around a character-filled old wool shed, the property is home to Highland cattle, alpacas, chickens and a Shetland pony. There's also a giant sandpit and outdoor games, giving kids something to explore while parents enjoy a tasting.
Despite the family-friendly extras, it still feels very much like a proper Orange cellar door, making this our pick for families who don't want to sacrifice the winery experience. Few cellar doors manage the adults-and-small-children combination quite this well.
Best for: Families with young kids
Don't miss: The resident farm animals
Ross Hill Wines
Probably one for older kids that can actually join in, Ross Hill Wines is nonetheless a perfect vibe for a family of wine lovers.
The family-owned winery is particularly interesting for sustainability-conscious visitors, having become Australia's first certified carbon-neutral winery.
Best for: Families who still care a lot about the wine
Philip Shaw Wines
One of Orange's best-known wineries is also surprisingly family-friendly.
The cellar door is set alongside a picturesque 130-year-old barn, with plenty of space and a relaxed country atmosphere.
Best for: A beautiful cellar door with the whole family
Local Tip: Philip Shaw works particularly well for groups where some people are enthusiastic wine drinkers and others are mostly along for the vibes.
See Saw Wines
See Saw Wines isn’t just kid friendly - but specifically states they are dog friendly as well! Book you and the kids an outdoor table and enjoy a grazing plate alongside some bright and refined Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Best for: An afternoon activity featuring some plonk
Looking for more things to do in rural NSW? → click here!
Best Orange Wineries for a Long Lunch
If your ideal winery day involves settling in for several hours rather than racing between cellar doors, put these vineyards at the top of the itinerary ASAP.
Printhie Wines
Printhie is one of the most complete winery experiences in Orange NSW. Alongside its cellar door you'll find Printhie Dining, where the food is designed around the estate's wines. Experiences range from tastings and long lunches to sparkling masterclasses and vineyard picnics.
For something particularly celebratory, you simply MUST order oysters alongside a glass of Swift sparkling.
Best for: A special-occasion winery lunch
Don't miss: Swift sparkling and oysters
Rowlee Wines
Rowlee is another essential stop if food is as important to you as wine. The contemporary Rowlee Dining showcases seasonal regional produce alongside the estate's wine collection, making it easy to turn a cellar-door visit into an entire afternoon.
Best for: Stylish winery dining.
Local Tip: Make a weekend of it! Rowlee also has luxury accommodation on the estate.
Mayfield Vineyard
For a slightly different long lunch experience head to Mayfield Vineyard. Located on the eastern slopes of Mount Canobolas, just a short 10-minute drive from the centre of stunning Orange, this charming winery offers pre-packed picnic hampers available to order. Choose your wine prior and select one of the grazing boards for 2 or 4 people alongside your tasting. A perfect option for a summer or spring day in Orange.
Best for: Small group of friends wanting a laid back graze with their wine.
Wanting to know all the best places to eat in rural NSW? → click here!
Best Orange Wineries for Wine Lovers
Already know your Chardonnay from your Chablis? Skip straight to these smaller Orange cellar doors for a tasting experience true wine connoisseurs will savour. These are the experiences that will make you truly appreciate what the cool-climate region of Orange has to offer.
HOOSEGG
HOOSEGG is the personal passion project of veteran Australian winemaker Philip Shaw. Rather than a sprawling tourist cellar door, the experience is intimate and deliberately wine-focused, making it one of our top recommendations for visitors who are coming to Orange specifically for the wine. This cellar door is strictly by appointment!
Best for: Serious wine lovers
Why go: One of Orange's most interesting winemaker-led experiences
Local Tip: If you only have time for one lesser-known tasting and genuinely love wine, make it this one.
De Salis Wines
High on the slopes of Mount Canobolas, De Salis has one of the most distinctive settings in the Orange wine region. Its Lofty Vineyard sits at around 1,050 metres, with a focus on varieties including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Meunier. Expect something intimate, rustic and refreshingly unflashy.
Best for: Old-world-style wines and spectacular altitude
RIKARD Wines
RIKARD is exactly the sort of place you’ll rave to your friends about, as it feels like a true find compared to the larger vineyards in Orange. Winemaker Will Rikard-Bell produces small-batch wines from the slopes of Mount Canobolas, with a focus on complexity rather than mass production. It feels less like ticking off another famous cellar door and more like being let in on a local wine recommendation.
Best for: Small-batch wine enthusiasts
Colmar Estate
Colmar Estate is another excellent example of what makes Orange's high-altitude vineyards so interesting. This boutique winery offers an intimate tasting experience with one of the most beautiful backdrops you can imagine. You can expect a selection of premium and elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling on the menu.
Best for: Aromatic whites
Best Orange Wineries for a Girls' Weekend
For the perfect girls' weekend in Orange you’ll need beautiful surroundings, excellent wine and somewhere you can linger over lunch - luckily, your options are plenty! Book a tasting then a lunch where you can sip and eat over long and windy conversations.
Rowlee Wines
This one gets another feature, and for good reason! Rowlee Wines is a classic stop and you and the girls are guaranteed a good time. Start with a tasting, move into a long lunch at Rowlee Dining and – if you're making a weekend of it – stay on the property.
Best for: The complete girls' weekend
Printhie Wines
Sparkling wine, fresh oysters, vineyard views, long lunch - perfect, right? It’s safe to say that when it comes to a girls’ weekend, Printhie understands the assignment. It's particularly good for birthdays, hens weekends or a weekend away that deserves something a little more special than a standard cellar-door tasting.
Best for: A celebratory lunch
Nashdale Lane Wines
Offering a slightly different experience, Nashdale Lane offers luxury (and we mean luxury) glamping tents onsite. Think waking up among the vines with the sweet aroma of grapes all around. The vineyard itself is housed inside a repurposed apple-packing shed, and has panoramic views towards Mount Canobolas and has its own cellar door where you can and should book a tasting.
Best for: Wine + glamping
Swinging Bridge
This slightly lesser known winery offers a range of food and tasting experiences, and is a real treat if you’re with a big group. You can choose between just a tasting, a tour of the vineyard, or one of their lunch menus alongside a plethora of wines for you to try.
Best for: A big group of girls looking for a fun activity
Most Romantic Wineries in Orange
Swinging Bridge
Swinging Bridge is smaller and more intimate than some of Orange's destination cellar doors, which is precisely why we like it for couples.
Best for: Views and a slow afternoon for two
Rowlee Wines
For the full romantic-weekend formula, combine a Rowlee tasting with lunch and an overnight stay on the estate.
Best for: Lunch + overnight stay
Borrodell Estate
High above the Towac Valley near Lake Canobolas, Borrodell is worth visiting for its setting alone. Throw fine dining on-site, a bar, and luxury accommodation into the mix and it's an easy choice for an anniversary or romantic Orange weekend.
Best for: A destination where you don’t need to leave the estate
Hidden-Gem Wineries in Orange
There are some truly wonderful and premium boutique wineries in the region that are absolutely worth the trip. Once you've visited Orange's famous cellar doors, these are the places worth seeking out next.
Strawhouse Wines
Strawhouse isn't just a cute name – owners Justin and Meg Jarrett constructed their cellar door from straw bales. The small-scale approach continues into the winemaking, with only a handful of wines produced in relatively small quantities.
It's quirky, personal and exactly the kind of place that makes a wine weekend memorable.
Best for: A genuinely different cellar-door experience
RIKARD Wines
Small batch, serious about wine and far less ubiquitous than Orange's headline cellar doors. Consider this one for people who love finding that truly special experience which hasn’t quite hit the mainstream yet.
Best for: The wine recommendation you pass on to friends
Dindima Wines
In Nashdale, Dindima offers another alternative to the region's bigger names. Add it to an itinerary when you're looking for smaller cellar doors and a more personal tasting experience.
Best for: Boutique, family-owned Orange wine
Brangayne of Orange
By their own admission, wine tasting at Brangayne is designed to slow things down. The tastings at this vineyard unfold through conversation and sharing stories from the families archives: old maps, orchard notes and early vineyard decisions that shaped the wines made today. If you love knowing the origins of how something is made, this is the place to go.
Best for: Those wanting a truly intimate experience
How to Plan an Orange Winery Weekend
Orange is around 3.5–4 hours' drive from Sydney, making it an easy destination for a two or three night weekend.
Rather than trying to squeeze in as many tastings as possible, we'd plan around three wineries per day, particularly if one includes lunch.
A great first-timer combination would be:
Morning: HOOSEGG or Philip Shaw
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Lunch: Printhie or Rowlee
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Afternoon: Swinging Bridge or Nashdale Lane
If you're travelling with kids, build the day around Heifer Station Winery and keep the rest of the itinerary relatively relaxed.
Bookings are particularly worthwhile for small cellar doors, structured tastings and winery restaurants - wing it at your own risk, especially in the busier months!
FAQs: Visiting the Orange Wine Region
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Some of the best wineries in Orange include Printhie, Philip Shaw Wines, Rowlee Wines, HOOSEGG, Swinging Bridge, De Salis, Heifer Station and Nashdale Lane Wines. The best choice depends on the experience you're looking for: Printhie is excellent for dining, Heifer Station for families, HOOSEGG for serious wine enthusiasts and Rowlee for a stylish weekend away.
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Printhie Wines and Rowlee Wines are two of the best Orange wineries for lunch. Both combine highly regarded cool-climate wines with destination dining, making them ideal if you'd prefer a long, leisurely winery experience rather than visiting several cellar doors in one afternoon.
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Heifer Station is one of the best family-friendly wineries in Orange thanks to its farm animals, sandpit and outdoor space. Philip Shaw and Ross Hill are also worth considering when visiting Orange wineries with children.
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Orange is particularly well known for cool-climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wine. The region's high-altitude vineyards and cool temperatures allow grapes to ripen slowly while retaining acidity, although you'll also find excellent Riesling, Pinot Gris, Cabernet varieties and other cool-climate styles.
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Around three Orange wineries in one day is plenty for most visitors. Plan one morning tasting, a winery lunch and one afternoon cellar door. This gives you enough time to enjoy each experience without spending the entire day rushing between vineyards.
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It's worth booking ahead, particularly on weekends. Reservations are especially important for winery restaurants, guided experiences and smaller producers offering intimate tastings. Opening days can also vary between cellar doors, so check directly with each winery before setting out.
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Orange is a year-round wine destination, but autumn and spring are particularly beautiful. Autumn brings vintage activity and changing vineyard colours, while spring offers green countryside and comfortable cellar-door weather. Winter is another great option if your ideal Orange weekend involves red wine, fireside dining and cosy accommodation.
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