Orange Wine Festival 2026: What's On and How to Plan
The Orange Wine Festival runs across three weekends in October 2026, with a program of more than 40 events celebrating the region's cool-climate wine and food. It is the spring counterpart to the autumn F.O.O.D Week, and it spreads the celebration across the cellar doors themselves rather than concentrating it in town. From intimate single-vineyard tastings to long lunches among the vines, this is the season when Orange's 40-odd cellar doors throw their doors open and put on a show.
This guide is part of our ultimate guide to Orange wine tours.
What Is the Orange Wine Festival?
Where F.O.O.D Week is centred on the town and its produce, the Orange Wine Festival is centred on the wine and the vineyards. Held over three weekends in spring, it gathers more than 40 individual events hosted by the region's producers, giving visitors a structured reason to get out to the cellar doors and meet the winemakers. The official Orange Wine Festival program lists each event and its ticketing as the dates approach.
Exact 2026 dates are confirmed closer to the event, but the festival reliably falls across three October weekends, lining up with spring blossom and the start of the warmer touring season at altitude.
What to Expect
The program changes year to year, but the format is consistent. Expect single-vineyard masterclasses and vertical tastings, vineyard long lunches with matched wines, sparkling and Chardonnay showcases that lean into the region's strengths, winemaker-hosted dinners, and open cellar doors running special pours and releases. Many of the region's best-known names take part, including the producers behind Orange's strongest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and cool-climate sparkling. Wine Australia's Orange regional profile sets out the cool-climate conditions behind those styles.
For visitors, the festival is an ideal first introduction to the breadth of the region, because it puts so many producers on display in a single window. If you want to understand what to taste before you go, our guide to Orange wine varieties walks through the styles, and our guide to cool-climate wine in Orange explains why the altitude makes the wines what they are.
Planning a Tour Around the Festival
Because festival events are spread across the cellar doors, a guided or private tour is the natural way to experience it. An operator handles the driving between vineyards and the timing of bookings, which matters when events run to a schedule. Book your festival tickets first, then arrange touring around them.
October is spring at altitude, so pack for variable weather and cool evenings. Accommodation fills across the festival weekends, so secure your stay early. The Visit NSW Orange guide covers accommodation and the wider region, and for the bespoke option built entirely around your group, see our private wine tours in Orange guide. If you are still choosing between festival seasons, compare it with the autumn alternative in our Orange F.O.O.D Week guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Orange Wine Festival 2026? The Orange Wine Festival runs across three weekends in October 2026. Exact dates are confirmed closer to the event through the official program, but it reliably falls in October, lining up with spring in the region.
What happens at the Orange Wine Festival? The festival hosts more than 40 events across the region's cellar doors, including single-vineyard tastings, vineyard long lunches, sparkling and Chardonnay showcases, winemaker dinners and special cellar-door releases. Events are hosted by individual producers across the three weekends.
How is the Wine Festival different from F.O.O.D Week? F.O.O.D Week in late March is centred on the town and the region's produce, while the Orange Wine Festival in October is centred on the wine and the vineyards. The Wine Festival spreads its events across the cellar doors, making it a strong introduction to the breadth of the region.
Do I need a tour for the Orange Wine Festival? A guided or private tour is the easiest way to attend, since events are spread across vineyards and run to a schedule. A local operator handles the driving and timing so your group can taste freely. Book festival tickets first, then arrange the tour around them.
Where can I find the Orange Wine Festival program? The official program is published through the regional tourism body as the dates approach, listing every event, host and ticket price across the three October weekends.
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Browse Orange wine tour operators on The Cork Chronicles and let a local guide handle the driving between festival events.