The best time to drop into Orange

The Orange region of New South Wales boasts a busy events calendar and an impressive food and wine culture. 

As autumn kicks into gear, the change of season signals the celebration of all thing's food as the apple and vineyard harvests are underway. 

Orange FOOD Week at the end of the month is one of the busiest and most sought-after times to visit. 

Here's what is coming up this month with the Orange Chamber Music Festival running from March 12-15, a night in Nashville on March 14 and the Orange Running Festival on March 15. 

FOOD Week (now more than a week) will run from March 20-29 with the 10-day celebration marking 35 years with a full program of events celebrating the region’s chefs and producers. 

Think shared dining experiences, markets and immersive foodie events. 

Highlights include the Night Market on March 20 and the Sunday Producers Market & Brunch on March 29. 

See event program

Central West Comedy with Nina Oyama is on March 27, with the Handa Opera at Millthorpe from April 2-5 and Canowindra International Balloon Challenge running from April 11-19. 

Regional wine pioneer to shut up shop

 

One of the pioneering wineries in the Central West of NSW is to close up after 30 years.

Margaret Wallington, who runs a 1000-acre organic farm outside Canowindra in the Central Ranges, has announced the closure of Wallington Wines.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that Wallington Wines is wrapping up," she said in a social media post and newsletter to customers.

"I have had to make the very difficult decision to sell the Wallington Farm and focus on my health and family," she said.

"I would like to thank everyone who has supported our family boutique winery since we planted the first vines in 1992.

"With the enormous growth of the Cowra wine region in the 1990s I enjoyed being a part of such an exciting time for the region and threw myself into driving our region forward.

"I have had enormous pride for the achievements especially within Canowindra."

The first Wallington wines were made by Iain Riggs in 1995 and 1996 before Murray Smith of Canobolas Smith Wines in Orange took over. Margaret has made her own wines in the one-site straw bale winery since 2000, and subsequently converted to organics and biodynamics.

" I felt that these practices would allow us to create more authentic and sustainable wines," she said. "I was passionate about working with the land to create more resilient ecosystems. This has been a core value of our winemaking at Wallington and values I am proud to have passed onto my children."

Wallington lost her husband Anthony in 2003 and has been a solo parent to four children.

One, daughter Nadja and her partner Steve Mobbs, joined Wallington several years ago and now run their own vineyard: ChaLou in Orange.

"So while it is the end of an era here at Wallington, I am excited to see what they will achieve and see the wines they will craft," Margaret said.

There is a closing down sale on right now at https://www.wallingtonwines.com.au/store Use the code WINEWALLY for 20% off.