Mortimers Wines

Mortimers Wines pours its tastings inside the restored 1866 March schoolhouse on Burrendong Way, about five minutes north of central Orange, and it is one of the more dog-welcoming cellar doors in a region full of them: well-behaved dogs are generally allowed inside the tasting room itself, not just the grounds.

The dog setup

Dogs on leads are welcome in the garden courtyard and across the grounds, and, unusually for a cellar door, inside the historic schoolhouse as well, where they often end up parked by the fireplace in winter. Keep your dog settled around other guests during tastings and check with staff on crowded afternoons before bringing them indoors. Bring your own water bowl; the setup is warm rather than kitted out for dogs.

The vibe

Members of the Mortimer family host many tastings personally in a characterful old-schoolhouse room, with the cool-climate range covering shiraz, cabernet and chardonnay and local cheese platters to match. Live music runs on select afternoons, and bookings are the safer bet for weekends. This is a relaxed, cool-weather-friendly stop where the indoor fireside option genuinely comes into its own.

Getting there

The address is 780 Burrendong Way, a short drive north of Orange with on-site parking at the schoolhouse. Roads towards the slopes stay quiet outside vintage season, so the drive out is easy.

Make a day of it

Keep the circuit going at Heifer Station Wines, another family-run cellar door with room for dogs outdoors. Back in town, Oliver Brown does dog-friendly coffee on the street, and the Bloomfield Reserve Dog Park gives the dog an off-lead run between stops.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly wineries guide and the Orange destination page.