Chardonnay, Chaos and the Best Sunset You’ll Ever Drink To
Swinging Bridge Wines in Orange, NSW
You know that moment when you walk into a place and immediately feel happy? That’s Swinging Bridge Wines in Orange. The happiness starts with the flowers. A great blooming canopy of them draped over the beams of the petite cellar door, practically whispering, “You’re about to have an excellent time.” And it continues with the view of Mount Canobolas (or Ghannabulla, as it’s more properly known) looming like a giant bouncer, keeping the clouds in line while you sit back with a glass of something cold and elegant.
Of course, the real star here isn’t the mountain, or the flowers, or even the spectacular sunsets that make you want to break into poetry despite having failed Year 9 English. No, the star is Tom Ward, winemaker, viticulturist, and, I suspect, a man who has perfected the art of saying “handcrafted cool-climate chardonnay”.
The Ward family farmers
The Ward family have been farming around these parts since 1867, which means they’ve survived droughts, floods and whatever godforsaken weather event the Central Tablelands throws at you when you’ve just hung the washing out. In 1995 they planted the first Swinging Bridge vines on the family property in Canowindra, naming the estate after the actual swinging footbridge across the Belubula River. This was either a touching nod to local heritage or a clever way of reminding visitors that drinking wine while crossing wobbly bridges is probably not advised.
Tom, who grew up with dirt under his nails and grapes in his blood, has taken the family’s farming roots and turned them into something remarkable, a range of wines that manage to be both rooted in heritage and faintly mischievous.
Wine With Personality (And a Hashtag)
Now, let’s talk bottles. Swinging Bridge has three main tribes of wine. First, the Winemaker Series, named after members of the Ward/Payten clan. So, there’s the 2022 William J shiraz, a robust little number that makes you want to order a steak the size of your head, and the 2021 G&A blanc de blancs, which fizzes away like the life of the party, without ever spilling secrets.
Then there’s the Hashtag Series. Yes, hashtags. Before you groan and mutter something about social media ruining everything, try the 2022 #006 tempinot. It’s a blend of tempranillo and pinot noir, and it’s proof that innovation and good taste occasionally swipe right on each other.
Finally, for those who want their wine to whisper, “I have excellent taste and possibly a trust fund,” there’s the Single Vineyard Series. The 2019 Hill Park Block 7 chardonnay is so elegant it should probably arrive at your table in a silk dressing gown.
Cellar Door With Applause
Swinging Bridge isn’t just showing off for me here, the accolades are stacked higher than a Woolworths wine sale bin. They’ve won Best Exhibitor at the Orange Wine Show (twice), Best Wine of Show (also twice), and earned themselves a coveted 5 Red Star rating from Halliday’s Wine Companion. The cellar door was even crowned Cellar Door of the Year 2022, which is essentially like being named “Best Dressed” at the Oscars, but for vineyards.
Come for the Canapés, Stay for the Degustation
The cellar door experience itself is a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure. If you’re in the mood for something light and breezy, you can do a tasting of seven wines with paired canapés. The canapés are designed to “enhance the flavour notes of the wine,” which in plain English means: small bites that don’t ruin your appetite or your dignity.
But if you’ve got three hours, stretchy trousers, and a healthy respect for the concept of indulgence, there’s the Indulge with Swinging Bridge experience of vineyard tour, five-course lunch, each dish serenaded by a wine that’s been waiting its whole life for this moment. It’s only on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, which means if you turn up on a Wednesday, you’ll just have to drink and sulk like the rest of us.
Orange Is the New Black (Grape)
It’s worth noting that Swinging Bridge is part of something bigger, the Orange wine scene. This region, sitting pretty at 900 metres above sea level on volcanic soils, is producing some of the most exciting cool-climate wines in the country. Throw in the rolling hills, apple orchards, boutique shops and the sort of autumn colours that make Instagram influencers lose their tiny minds, and you’ve got yourself a weekend destination.
The Last Sip
So what’s Swinging Bridge Wines, really? It’s family. It’s heritage. It’s innovation with a wink. It’s standing on a verandah watching the sun set while deciding whether to order a second bottle, knowing full well you already have.
Swinging Bridge is that rare combination of place, people and pinot that makes you want to stay longer than you should, drink more than you planned, and seriously consider whether your life back in the city is entirely necessary.
And after a few glasses of their chardonnay, you’ll probably decide it isn’t.
