1991
The first vines are planted
A mix of red and white varieties is chosen.
Planting is completed in 2000 with the riesling block near the cellar door.
2013
We purchase the vineyard
Plans are made to build a house and move from Sydney to Orange.
2014
Our first vintage
A tough one, with two major rain events, yet two of our wines win trophies at the NSW Wine Awards. We realise we are onto something special.
2015
Getting the varieties right
Under-performing red varieties – cabernet sauvignon and merlot – are grafted to white varieties and pinot noir more suited to the cool site.
2016
Some big wins!
Colmar Estate blitzes the Orange Wine Show, winning five trophies including Best White Wine and Best Wine of Show.
2020
27 trophies (and counting)
Colmar Estate becomes the Orange Region’s most awarded vineyard, winning 27 trophies at Australia wine shows in our first five vintages.
Colmar Estate
Welcome to Colmar Estate, where our relentless quest to make New South Wales’ finest cool climate wines is coming to fruition in the highlands of Orange.
Just 10 minutes’ drive from the gastronomic heart of town, our lovingly tended, family-owned vineyard is a sight for sore eyes. But the real beauty is to be found in the distinctive wines we craft from hand-picked fruit grown at 980 metres above sea level. If you like wine you’ll love Colmar Estate and the warm welcome that awaits you at our cellar door.
790 Pinnacle Rd, Orange, NSW 2800
Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays: 10.30am – 5pm.
All other times by appointment. If we are in, we are open!
Featured Products
Select from out bestselling wines
People
Bill and Jane Shrapnel
Co-Founders
Wine lovers and passionate owners of Colmar Estate. It was 30 years in the planning!
Sarah Shrapnel
Creative Director
Our daughter, graphic designer and food/travel blogger extraordinaire. Sarah designed our labels and the website. She also assists with communications and all the technical stuff.
Chris Derrez and Lucy Maddox
Winemakers
Our wonderful winemakers. Chris hails from Burgundy and is the artist; Lucy handles everything to do with numbers – the scientist. Nominated for Winemakers of the Year in 2018.
Ian ‘Pearcy’ Pearce
Viticulturist
Our viticulturalist. What Ian doesn’t know about growing premium, cool climate grapes isn’t worth knowing. An advocate of ‘all great wines start in the vineyard’.
The Orange Wine Region
The Orange Wine Region is known for its high altitude vineyards. The higher you go the cooler it gets, allowing a wide range of grape varieties to be grown successfully.
Most wine regions are known for one or two varieties; Orange is known for its incredible diversity. But there is one constant – the elegant, cool climate style of the wines.
News
It’s no secret that Colmar Estate is aiming high with pinot noir. During the 2018 growing season we were determined to get more colour, depth and richness in our pinot noirs, so there was much effort in the ...
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Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty kind of person? I suspect the ideal time to find the answer to this question is during a global pandemic. It’s hard to be optimistic when the powers-that-be te...
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Our premium sparkling wine, the 2015 Chardonnay-Pinot Noir, has shone at this year’s Winewise Championship. This wine has hardly been hiding its light under a bushel – over the last year it has starred in th...
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