Our Story

Our History

Angullong Vineyard is one of the largest vineyards in the Orange wine region with a total area of 220 hectares (550 acres) under vines. The vineyard is located at Panuara, about 35km south of Orange and 350km west of Sydney.

Angullong Wines was established in 1998 with Shiraz one of the first varieties to be planted.

Since 1950 the history of Angullong has been more sedate. Under the ownership of the Crossing family, the Angullong property has farmed cattle and, for the last 25 years, grown grapes and made wine.

1830s: The caves beneath

European knowledge of the Cliefden caves dates back to the 1830s when cave entrances were recorded on cadastral maps. These caves are located beneath the Angullong property and have significant Ordovician fossil, from which Angullong's Fossil Hill range is named.

"The large number of endemic fossil species found at these sites (45 genera and 101 species unique to the 252 area) and with more than 62 papers published in international journals, Cliefden Caves is a site of 253 International significance for Ordovician fossils, strata and palaeoenvironment."

There is significant risk when entering these caves, as we discovered in 1920 when a group of children became lost in the caves.

"On Monday Mr. H. Hesse, overseer at Angullong, found some horses tethered together near the Belubula River. They had been there some time, and he was not long in arriving at the conclusion that the owners were lost in the caves. He secured a lantern at a nearby camp and after getting in some distance —to what will always be known as ''Chandler's Rest" —the missing party was located. Needless to say he met with a good reception, and beyond being a bit depressed and famishingly hungry, no one was very much the worse for the experience."Canowindra Star, Nov 1920

Mid 1800s: Copper discovered

Prior to its evolution into the current holdings, Angullong was part of a larger station, Cadiangullong. Copper was discovered in the region around 1849. The property, located near the Canobolas Copper Mine, established a copper smelter around 1862.

Early 1900s: Riding on the sheep's back

Angullong is a well-known, historic property that has been instrumental in wool and lamb production since the early 1900s. Angullong prime sheep were recorded to top the Homebush markets from the turn of the century and later, in the 1920s, the property was shearing 30,000 sheep.

Post WWI: Fire, Suicide & Murder

As with all stories of the Australian bush, resilience, innovation and determination come to the fore.

During 1932 the property was razed by fire, with 4000 acres of grassland burnt.

In 1934 the Station Manager, a returned serviceman who had seen action at Passchendale and the Somme, was found dead with his revolver by his side.

Only three years later, in 1937, a young Angullong station cook and laundress was murdered by a young farmhand on the property.

1950: The Crossing family purchase Angullong

In 1950 the Crossing family became custodians of the famed Angullong station.

1998: We plant the first vines

Under the innovative guidance of the Crossing family the vineyards were planted with a range of traditional varieties along with emerging varieties. While Angullong has built a reputation with its emerging varieties, its shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot are very suited to the lower reaches of Orange’s high elevation vines.

These varieties grow well at a 600-metre elevation. The 600-metre boundary around Orange’s Mount Canobolas is slightly warmer than the higher vineyards at 1000 metres.

Whilst still very much cool climate, and higher than most vineyards in Australia, these reds are able to fully ripen. They produce cool climate characters, finesse and elegance. The wines are medium bodied, with the slow ripening and extended sunshine hours increasing phenolic levels which build flavour, colour and texture of the wine.

2009: Trophy win & Cellar Door opens

TheAngullong Sauvignon Blanc 2008was awarded the prestigious Bert Bear Memorial Perpetual Trophy for the Best Young White Wine as well as The First Estate Wine Merchants Perennial Trophy for the Best White Wine of the Show, not exceeding $15 per bottle, at the 2009 Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show.

Also in 2009, we opened ourcellardoorin the historic stables on Victoria street in Millthorpe.

2010: Another Trophy for Sauvignon Blanc

Our Angullong Orange Region Sauvignon Blanc 2010 was awarded the ‘Midpro Engineering Trophy’ for the Best Sauvignon Blanc at the 2010 New South Wales Small Winemakers Wine Show.

The NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show attracted 649 entries from 113 winemakers which were judged under the guidance of Chairman Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines and Panel Chairs, winemaker Mike de Iullis and Sommelier Deb Pearce-Pratt.

2011: The release of our first Tempranillo

We release our first Tempranillo as a limited release Angullong 'Bull's Roar' Tempranillo.

We have two and a half hectares of Tempranillo which we grafted in 2008 onto ten year old marsanne vines. Tempranillo is proving to be well suited to our cold climate, showing lovely savoury flavours and textural, chewy tannins. The variety ripens well, with good colour and relatively low alcohol levels.

This wine proved so popular it evolved into the Angullong 'Fossil Hill' Tempranillo

2013: The start of our sponsorship of local rugby club, Orange Emus

There was a real synergy for us and Emus. We are conscious of supporting the local community and believe that rugby is the perfect avenue.

We are excited to be able to be part of the future of the Club, with the sponsorship going well beyond branding. We understand that there are some great plans in place for various fundraisers and events which we are looking forward to being involved in.

Emus Rugby, and its reputation for success and fair play fits with our ideals. Rugby, and the Emus club, brings together people from all across the region in a way that promotes camaraderie and community; there’s a nice fit.

2014: Release of our first Vermentino

We release our first Vermentino.

We grafted the Vermentino in 2012, aiming to build on the alternative varieties in our portfolio. Vermentino is a Mediterranean variety native to Italy, it is also grown in France and now finding a home in Australia, particularly in the warm inland areas due to its ability to thrive in hot and dry growing conditions.

In spring of 2011 we decided to graft a small area to see how it would perform in our cooler region at 600m above sea level. We chose to graft a site on top of a ridge that is exposed to hot dry westerly winds during summer.

The variety produces large bunches and berries, so thinning was required during the growing season to balance the young vines. Given it was our first vintage we took a fairly straight-forward approach to winemaking to retain the freshness and varietal character of the wine. Post fermentation, the wine was left on yeast lees for four weeks in order to allow the natural yeast autolysis to occur, releasing further aromatics and flavour complexity.

2020: Partnership with Sydney Youth Orchestra

Angullong Wines has announced its exciting new ‘Community Engagement Partnership’ with the Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO).

The Partnership will see a range of initiatives over the coming years as Angullong take on the role of wine supplier. We are looking forward to working with the SYO, especially the prospect of showcasing our wines to their audiences and the opportunity to bring the Orchestra to Orange. There will also be a number of initiatives to build on this partnership, especially with our Bluestone Wine Club members.

2021: Angullong honours Crossing matriarch with new release

The Crossing family purchased the historic Angullong property in the NSW highlands in 1950. Prior to Bill and Hatty Crossing purchasing the property, Angullong was instrumental in the development of the region’s wool and lamb production, shearing 30,000 sheep annually in the early twentieth century.

Bill and Hatty and their family continued this tradition, before planting grapevines in 1998. The vineyards sit on the 600-metre contour around the extinct volcano Mount Canobolas, the slightly warmer ripening conditions being perfectly suited to the cool climate red varieties.

With a focus on emerging Italian varieties, the new 2019 Angullong Crossing Reserve Harriet is a blend of the vineyard’s best parcels of Sangiovese (40%), Sagrantino (30%) and Montepulciano (30%).

“We have been working towards this reserve wine for a number of years,” says Ben Crossing. “Each year we experimented with a number of varieties, and it wasn’t until the 2019 vintage that we were happy with the result.”

Angullong 'Crossing Reserve' Harriet

2022: We become a certified member of 'Sustainable Winegrowing Australia'

Being farmers is about being sustainable. As current custodians of this land we are extremely mindful that we need to not only practice sustainable farming and winegrowing, we must actively leave the land in better condition than when we arrived.

"All members seeking certification require an independent audit against the Australian Wine Industry Standards of Sustainable Practice – Viticulture (AWISSP-VIT1) and/or Australian Wine Industry Standards of Sustainable Practice – Winery (AWISSP-WIN1)."

Read more here

2024: Angullong awarded 5 STARS in the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion

2024 proved a successful year for Angullong. The 2024 Orange Wine Show saw us awarded theTrophy for Best Red Wine of the Show,as well as the Best Shiraz of the Show as well as named as a5 STARWinemaker.

The results comprised:

The 2024 Orange Wine Show was a huge success for us, winning 2 Trophies. Some of these wines are yet to be released, so the future is bright.

Angullong Crossing Reserve Shiraz 2022

- Trophy for Best Red Wine of Show

- Trophy for Best Shiraz of Show

- Top Gold Medal

Angullong 'Crossing Reserve' Shiraz 2023

- Gold Medal

Angullong 'Fossil Hill' Shiraz