Well-known viticultural consultant and innovator Dr Richard Smart has taken a key role with the Orange Agricultural College, which is now a part of the NSW University. New South Wales is shortly to have a new wine educational facility with a commercial edge. The Orange Agricultural College, today a part of the NSW University, already has a 50 acre vineyard to its credit, but the scale will soon change. A 400 acre commercial vineyard and a state of the art 3,000 tonne winery representing a total investment of $15 million will commence development on May 1 this year. The new winemaking and bottling facilities will be offered on a contract basis to regional producers in Cowra and the remainder of the inland Central Highlands are of NSW. Jon Reynolds of Reynolds Yarraman winery in the Upper Hunter Valley is intimately involved in the project and is currently taking fruit from the Orange campus, making wine for the college’s own label. Reynolds says the facility will also offer marketing services to local producers. Based at this campus, the NSW University will conduct training courses for the wine industry, providing a mix of short bloc post graduate viticulture and winemaking courses. A pilot winery especially for the training courses is shortly to be constructed adjacent to the main winery building. Reynolds says the emphasis will be non-academic, structured for people who own or work in vineyards and want further education in specific fields without requiring a full commitment to Roseworthy or Wagga courses. ‘We’re not competing with either existing facility, but adding to the choices available’, he says.
