WORD OF MOUTH - Cellar Door

Word of Mouth Wines is a small, family-run cellar door on Mount Stirling Road at Canobolas, about 10 to 15 minutes from Orange, pouring cool-climate wines made on site from hand-picked grapes. It has built a solid reputation as a genuinely dog-friendly stop, and what sets it apart for dog owners is rare in wine country: a large fenced area behind the cellar door where your dog can be let off the lead while you taste.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the verandah during tastings and can roam the big fenced run behind the cellar door between pours. They need to be non-aggressive and stay on lead in the tasting area itself. Water bowls are usually out, but bring your own treats to be sure. The hosts are known for being accommodating with dogs of all sizes, so this is one of the more relaxed cellar-door visits you will find in the region.

Max: the fenced paddock behind the cellar door is the whole reason this stop works. Time your tasting so the dog gets a proper run before the drive home.

Worth knowing

The food is a genuine draw rather than an afterthought: cheese platters with homemade chutney and poached pear, and on weekends the menu has run to fresh pierogi and Hungarian-style goulash, an unusual pairing for a cellar door that people come back for. The atmosphere is casual and intimate rather than polished. It is a cellar-door visit rather than an overnight stop, as there is no accommodation on site.

Getting there and parking

The cellar door is on Mount Stirling Road on the slopes of Mount Canobolas, an easy drive from Orange. Parking is on site with a flat gravel walk to the verandah. Hours generally run Friday to Monday, 11am to 4pm, closed Tuesday to Thursday, and bookings are preferred for group tastings, so check ahead before you plan the day.

Make a day of it

The Mount Canobolas side of Orange has plenty of cellar doors to chain together. Brangayne of Orange is nearby on the same slopes, See Saw Wine is a short hop toward Nashdale, and for an overnight option Towac Valley Cabins puts you in vineyard country. Cook Park and the Orange Botanic Gardens in town both allow leashed dogs for a walk before or after tasting.

More options are on the NSW wineries guide and the Canobolas destination page.