Industry experts have spent the past few days sipping their way through almost 300 wines as they determine the best and most exciting tipples from the Orange region.

The 2026 Orange Wine Show has attracted 290 entries across 14 categories, with judges spending three days sampling and comparing wines before awarding the best of each varietal. “We're just looking for good wine. It’s just that simple,” Chair of Judges for the Orange Wine Show Mike De Iuliis said.

Mr De Iuliis operates a small winery in the Hunter Valley and is also Chair of Judges for the Sydney Royal Wine Show. He has judged the Orange show for the past three years and said exciting wines are coming out of Orange, particularly cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Riesling.

“We've seen a couple of really strong vintages come out of the region, and just to see what the region can do with Pinot Noir, I think is super exciting,” he said.

“We did a Chardonnay Master Class yesterday, and just how great the Orange Chardonnay stacks up against Chardonnays from across the country and across the world… I think that's one of the really exciting things to come out of this.”

Joining Mr De Iuliis on his year’s judging panel are Panel Chair Steve Flamsteed of Wine Network Consulting; Stuart Hordern of Brokenwood Wines; Alexander Kirkwood of The Point Group; and Emma Shaw of Collector Wines.

The associate judging panel includes Samantha Sutherland of Samantha May Wines, Alex Rashford of ChaLou Wines, Caitlyn Byrne of Byrne Farm and Joel Carey of Tamburlaine Organic Wines.

The public will have the chance to sample all the entries in this year’s wine show at the popular tasting event ‘Sip and Savour’, part of the 2026 Orange Wine Festival, 16–25 October 2026.