Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
lastdrop Wines with altitude Patrick Haddock finds stand-out merlot, up-and-coming sparkling and awarded riesling in the Orange wine region, which continues to reach new heights. Suddenly, cool is hot. By that I mean cool-climate wines are now the toast of the town. In the search for more medium-bodied, elegant wines, consumers are turning their backs on the big alcoholic blockbusters and looking for food-friendly drops with finesse. Burning bright is the Orange wine region of NSW, where a host of wineries are experimenting with grape varieties that are suited to the high altitude. The best wines of the region tend to be chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, but you'll find that pinot noir, riesling and even merlot and sparkling styles have a very promising future here. The fact that Orange is so far above sea level (about 1,400 metres at its highest point) means grape varieties that like warm days and cool nights thrive in these auspicious conditions. In fact, many winemakers in nearby Mudgee source grapes from Orange, as they would never be able to grow sauvignon blanc or pinot with the same level of success. A grape variety that is just as temperamental and 'precious' as pinot in the vineyard is merlot, and the resulting wine is often maligned, as it's rare to find superb executions in this country. Says Rob Geddes MW, "The best merlot has yet to be made in this country, but when it is, it will come from Orange." High praise, indeed, and just spending some time with Orange winemaker Debbie Lauritz at Cumulus, it's clear to see she is taking Geddes' prophecy seriously. "It's the combination of soil, site, rainfall and climate that makes Orange an interesting area to grow merlot," she says. "Merlot has tended to perform better in the cooler years, however, I would probably say the opposite of merlot grown in the higher elevations: the grapes would have struggled to ripen in the cooler years. So an elevation somewhere between 600 and 900 metres is probably where you'd want to be," she adds. Merlot's temperamental nature must be addressed with due care and diligence in the vineyard. As Lauritz points out, "It's quite a delicate balance, as you need to juggle seasonal variations and rainfall, not to mention other site-specific factors. The same goes for all varieties, but others seem to be able to handle a change in conditions slightly better than merlot." It's all in the balance: if it's too hot you get a stressed vine that will develop overripe fruit; if you pick the fruit when "The best merlot has yet to be made in this country, but when it is, it will come from Orange." 35