Our Vineyard

The Cumulus Wines Estate is the home of the vineyard for our ROLLING and Climbing labels. 

The rhythmic rises and falls of its expansive 900 hectares, covering a range of altitudes and slopes, led to the name ROLLING as one of our labels. Since 1995 over 508 hectares have been planted to ten different varieties of vine.

The grapes for our Climbing range are grown on about half the vineyard where the altitude is above 600 metres (which falls squarely into the Orange GI or appellation). 

The other section which produces the grapes for the ROLLING varietals is in the Central Ranges region; this is identical to the Orange GI but is 10-20m lower in altitude.

The rich volcanic soils give excellent structure for deep rooted vines while the enhancement of limestone allows for well balanced growth.

Cumulus Vineyard – specific details

Location
Latitude 33°15’S, longitude 149°07’E, 250km west of Sydney on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range

Terroir
Due to historical volcanic activity, Orange is a high region dominated by deep limestone — up to 500 metres in places – with moderate to excellent soils based as a result. It is a cool forgiving area with good rainfall, even in mid-summer.

Soils
Types include slate shale soil; well-drained deep red-brown clay, deep red-brown/yellow-brown clay loam with volcanic ash and patches of Terra Rossa with visible limestone.

Climate
Due to elevation, the Orange GI climate is one of the coolest in Australia with a mean January temperature of under 20oC. Mild to warm summers result in temperatures which seldom rise above 30°C. These are offset by cool to cold nights during the growing season.

Rainfall
Winter-spring dominant. The three driest months are the ripening period of February, March and April — making supplementary irrigation almost unnecessary.

Varietal makeup

Vineyard management

The Cumulus vineyard is expertly managed by the vastly experienced David Price and his dedicated team — including Russell Quilty, Jennifer Doyle and Scott Johnston.

We are also proud to be involved in a range of programs including biodynamic, organic and sustainable viticultural techniques. These will provide insights for the continual development of sustainable quality at Cumulus Wines Estate.