Orange Wine: Sydney International Convention Centre looks to expand selection

The International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney's Darling Harbour hosts 1.25 millions guests every year.

Almost 100,000 bottles of red and white are knocked back by clientele annually. About a quarter of that sourced from the Orange Wine Region.

More than 100,000 local wines have been bought since 2016. Twenty-five Orange variants are currently offered at the ICC from 12 producers.

ICC CEO Geoff Donaghy and head sommelier William Wilson arrived in town this week to shore up its partnerships with existing suppliers and search for new ones.

"It gives us the chance to see who's at the forefront and develop new contacts ... there's at least one [new producer] we'll be visiting - ChaLou Wines," Mr Wilson said at Ross Hill wines.

"We'll head to [wine awards today] and see who's picked up the golds ... fingers crossed we'll see some new ones we can touch base with."

Mr Donaghy said the benefit to Orange is more than just the annual sale of 25,000 bottles of wine, with high profile events boosting interest in the region.

"They'll go away and seek other ways to purchase [the wines they enjoy at our centre]," Donaghy said. "We've tried the food and the wine, now we'll visit."

The ICC also sources food from the Central West. Lamb, pork, and goats cheese are offered from suppliers in the region.

Conventions dropped dramatically during COVID19 as travel restrictions were imposed, but Donaghy said the ICC has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The 2022 Orange Wine Show wrapped up Thursday, with Jeff Byrne's Byrne Farm taking out the lion's share of top awards.