Orange Wine Week 2012

Mr L'Orange and I got our hands on the new Orange Wine Week 2012 brochure yesterday and are very excited about the programme for late October. This year's festival is jam packed with good stuff, the tough job will be selecting just a few events to attend.

The bar has definitely been raised and there is now an excellent range of wine related events throughout the week with a good mix of casual and formal. If you were thinking of making a visit, then leave your children behind and come to Orange for Wine Week which takes place from 20-28 October 2012. 

This year there are guest chef appearances from Tony Bilson, Kate Bracks the Masterchef winner and Peter Kuravita. These events have a matching guest chef price tag so be prepared to spend big, perfectly fine if you can spare the cash or want to do something unique for a special occasion. As DIY consumes almost all of our savings, we are going for the more ‘value for money’ options and my top picks for Orange Wine Week 2012 include:

Burgundian Lunch at the Old Convent with De Salis Wines

Josie Chapman is one of our favourite chefs in Orange and the Old Convent is one of the most lovely venues in the area. So the fact that they are doing a lunch accompanied by De Salis wines (another of our favourites) for the very reasonable price of $50 is a no brainer. Who else wants to join us? On both weekends during Wine Week.

Live DJ and Vietnamese pork rolls at Philip Shaw Wines

Relaxing in the sunshine whilst sipping wine, listening to music and munching on Vietnamese culinary delights sounds like the perfect Sunday to me. At $8 per person, this option is great for groups of friends/family and is pretty casual which in my view is what wine drinking is all about. Taking place both weekends during Wine Week.

Printhie Sparkling Launch at the Byng St Store

As this event is free and just around the corner from our house it immediately caught my eye. We will definitely be popping along to sample the new Printhie sparkling, meet Drew Tuckwell the wine maker and get to see the Byng St Store with its exciting wine bar set up.

BUG Bicycle Ride – 50km around the region 

I think I need to go into training to be able to complete this one, however it is a great way to get more people involved in cycling and to see the region from a new perspective. I would personally recommend using a mountain bike as the roads in Orange are shocking for bumps and potholes. Free event - meeting at the Byng St Store at 10.00am on 28th October.

Night Markets at Robertson’s Park 

Always a good opportunity to try lots of wines in a short space of time without the trouble of driving. Arrive early to avoid disappointment as food runs out and queues get long otherwise. Free event you simply buy what you wish to eat and drink. Taking place from 5.30pm on Friday 26 October.

Hopefully some of these suggestions have tempted you to book in a visit to Orange or get your friends and family up for the weekend for some Orange Wine Week action. 

To see the full brochure of Orange Wine Week events click here. If you are needing accommodation, there is always the Dalton St Studio for the perfect home away from home mini break!