2025 vintage report

The 2025 vintage in Orange was a bit like one of those rollercoaster rides where you get off to an easy start and then hang on in fear during a wild ride, before slowly and calmy arriving back at base.

Winter was mild and there was good rain, so the dams were full and prospects were bright. There was a bit of spring frost around the region but fortunately we were spared.

Budburst in chardonnay and pinot noir at Colmar Estate was in the first week of October, which is close to average at our high-altitude site. But the next few months were anything but average.

Spring was warm and the vines burst into life – the vineyard looked spectacular. There was good rain during October and then plenty of summer storms in November and December. My goodness there was a lot of rain.

On 7 January a massive cloudburst dumped 60mm on us in 30 minutes, and some hail fell around the region. With all this moisture, the vignerons had to manage their vineyards well to keep mould at bay. At Colmar Estate we leaf-plucked our whole vineyard to ensure good ventilation around our fruit.

There were three wild storms in the first 10 days of February and it seemed that prayer might be the best strategy going forward.

Then, on 13 February, Mother Nature flicked a switch. The summer storms disappeared and were replaced by fine, warm, sunny days. And there wasn’t a drop of rain for the next five weeks, the conditions being virtually ideal for the close of the season. Vignerons across the region could time their harvest to perfection and the condition of the fruit was excellent.

We commenced harvest on 5 March, hand-picking chardonnay in Block 2.

The remnants of cyclone Alfred threatened to dump on us in early March, but we got nothing and the warm, dry conditions persisted. What a blessing.

So harvest at Colmar Estate was uneventful. Yields were up which was great to see after the rather stingy offering last year. The gewurztraminer was the best we have ever seen, the berries bright pink and bursting with rosewater flavours. And there was plenty of it! Ditto the pinot gris. The new 667 clone of pinot noir produced a good crop and this fruit found its was into a four-clone pick of pinot which is already looking great in the winery. The slow-ripening shiraz was the last to come off but, like last year, it delivered the goods.

Expect some stunning wines from the 2025 vintage in the Orange Region.