‘The right move at the right time’ Tamburlaine sees big future for Orange

Orange is building an enviable reputation as must-visit wine destination, but there is still much more room to grow, says Tamburlaine Organic Wines Managing Director and Chief Winemaker, Mark Davidson.

And he is putting his money where his mouth is.

While Tamburlaine’s roots may be in the Hunter Valley, they have been growing grapes in Orange for more than two decades and today more than 95 per cent of their wine originates from Orange and the Central Tablelands.

Over the past year, Tamburlaine have made several major investments in the region; including purchasing the large winery formerly owned by Cumulus at Cudal and opening a brand-new cellar door in Millthorpe.

And that is just the beginning according to Mark.

“We've been investing in Orange for 22 years, but just recently with the acquisition at Cudal — that is a substantial investment with more to come,” said Mark.

Since taking over the Cudal winery Tamburlaine have already invested in a number of upgrades and efficiency measures, such as installing a 100-kilowatt solar array – with more planned – and a new energy-saving refrigeration system.

“We want to make more and more wine out there with a smaller footprint,” said Mark. “We obviously inherited a winery that works, but it needs some extra investment to bring it up to modern, best performance… We've already had the experience of turning a modest winery in the Hunter Valley into ones of the most energy efficient ones and, as I tell our guys, we want to make the best litre of wine we possibly can, but we don’t want to waste money doing it.

Drought, bushfires and smoke taint made for an extremely difficult 2020 vintage for wine producers, including Tamburlaine. But with full dams, damp soil and a wet forecast, Mark is expecting to the next year will see their Orange operations expand further.

“We are optimistic that we will have a normal or substantial vintage in 2021 and that means we will need more people, more people working in the plant generally, not just in packaging but on the winery floor— it is a big winery,” he said.

Two new vineyard staff have already just been put on locally and the cellar door also has room for growth, said Mark.

“We opened our cellar door at Millthorpe six weeks ago and that is going really well. We've employed two people and two casuals and that is keeping us really busy, so the way that is going we will need a couple more people out there in time,” he said.

“So I think employment opportunities, with the sort of business and the growth that we have ahead of us, is good for the area.”

Opening a cellar door in Orange was something that was inevitable given Tamburlaine’s large presence in the region. And even there, Mark see potential to further develop the wine tourism side of their business.

“It was one of those inevitabilities, because we love the area, 95 per cent of Tamburlaine production is in the Orange\Central Ranges area, so even though our foundation, the original winery and brand developed in the Hunter valley, the core of our business now is in Orange. That is where our focus is. That is where our commitment is,” he said.

“Orange’s profile is growing as a gastronomic, wine-making area and justifiably, because Orange wines are proving to be versatile and high quality... and it has it's natural beauty, so you put good operators and good cellar doors there and the movement of people from Sydney out into the country for that sort of lifestyle experience will increase.

“It is a very exciting area; a great area to be a winemaker and it is a great area to be a part of as far as wine tourism is concerned, so it has been the right move at the right time.”

Mark points to their own humble beginnings in a tin shed in Pokolbin and the massive growth in the Hunter Valley since then.

“Build it and they will come,” he said. “We've got some great venues there to expand our public facilities, different sites on the vineyard for tourism and cellar door expansion.

“I feel sure that we've got plenty of opportunity to expand our vision for the business as we settle into the operation we've got in Orange now. I won't put a timetable on it, but certainly within the next 5 years I would like to do a lot more.”

Photos @farmershane