First pick for newcomer to the Orange wine scene

“It is a bit of a sentimental pick,” says Nadja Wallington overlooking the 6ha of fruit-laden vines destined to become the first vintage of the newest boutique wine label in the Orange region.

For many people, 2020 is a year they would rather forget, but for local winemakers, Nadja and husband Steve Mobbs it will be remembered as the year they were married, bought a vineyard, and launched their very own wine label together, ChaLou (a portmanteau of their middle names Charlton and Louise.)

On Sunday, the couple picked the first grapes from their vineyard, formerly Sassy Wines owned by Rob and Felicia Coles.

“We are planning of turning it into a sparkling, Méthode Traditionelle, so we might be waiting for a while to drink it, but it seems like the right thing to make for your first pick,” says Nadja.

Nadja and Steve both began their journey to becoming winemakers at an early age. Both grew up on family vineyards — Steve near Wauchope, Nadja at Canowindra — and the couple share a love of science.

“I vaguely remember telling a friend in boarding school, in a science class, that I want to be a winemaker. I said it out loud and didn't change my mind,” says Nadja, who did her school work experience with Murray Smith, of Canobolas Smith Wines here in Orange.

“I got an early acceptance into Charles Sturt University at Wagga to do winemaking and it was probably pretty naive, but it worked out really well. It’s ticked all the boxes for me because I needed to do something that was hands on and physical, but pretty engaging as far as your chemistry and all that, logistic, but also it is a creative pursuit — there is an art to winemaking.”

It was while studying that Steve and Nadja first met. The pair were just friends, but kept in touch in the years following their degree as they chased vintages around Australia and abroad.

“After university we did the travelling thing, but I went to different countries,” says Steve. “So, vintages all around Australia… the States and went to New Zealand and Germany and back to Canada a couple of times and then did little bits around Australia in Tasmania, South Australia, NSW and Victoria.”

Wanting to be a little closer to his family at Wauchope, at the end of 2013 Steve left Melbourne to join the winemaking team at Cumulus Wines in Orange.

“I got the job and then I had a message from Nadja, she was still over in France and she'd heard from a friend I was going to be in Orange and said, ‘So am I!’” says Steve.

“So we rekindled a friendly relationship and moved in with each other as friends and then it all started from there… We got married and bought a property last year.”

Since returning to Orange, Nadja has been a full-time winemaker at Phillip Shaw Wines and says the region has so many opportunities for those willing to work for them.

“Orange is a really young region, so you can see opportunities. You can still buy land! Land in Orange is expensive — that hurdle is enormous and we've been very lucky — but you know in other wine regions it is so expensive to buy land! There is still land here for sale and still an opportunity to develop brands,” said Nadja.

“There region's growing a lot, which is opening up a lot of opportunities. We were here and saw that was happening and saw the opportunity that was there.”

“And we’re never scared to grab those opportunities,” said Steve. “Because we both came from family properties and family farms where we saw our parents do it and we thought, well, it's obtainable. If they can do it, we definitely can do it. There was never that hurdle in getting this place.

“I’d never dreamed of Orange as a region I wanted to be in; it just happened. I stumbled upon Orange and it's been fantastic, I've never left! It's a great region and a great opportunity for two young winemakers.”

In April, during F.O.O.D Week, Steve and Nadja will be hosting a small event to give people a little taste of their new joint venture.

“We are having a sneaky first look, so it is not our official opening, but a housewarming,” said Steve.

 “It will be looking at the vintage, a bit of a walk through the vineyard, looking at the wines we've been making and hopefully we'll have a bit of something to show the people what we've been up to and give people a first look at the place and our brand.”

The plan is to have their ChaLou Wine cellar door open by appointment from October and grow the brand and their range of wines slowly over the coming years.

“This year we'll make a few wines — just to get us going, to get our feet wet — and next year a little bit more, the year after that a little bit more and eventually aiming to get every berry that we grow into bottle under our brand,” said Nadja, who believes there is still plenty of room to grow the industry in Orange.

“I hope that we have more producers like us start to pop up in Orange, because I think it really adds to the depth, the tapestry of our region. It's not easy and it certainly is not for everyone, but we love what we do— that’s why we do it. If you don't love it, it's a crazy thing to do!”