By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on November 1, 2018
NOT every story starts with planting sticks in a cow paddock.
But that’s how the tale of Oranje Tractor Wine began two decades ago, when owners Pam Lincoln and Murray Gomm decided to “escape the rat race of the big smoke” and return to Mr Gomm’s Great Southern roots.
Mr Gomm’s parents owned 386 acres of land in Marbelup on the outskirts of Albany, when he and Ms Lincoln decided to move back to the country.
Mr Gomm said his parents offered the couple part of their property because, “well, if you’re going to move here, you can do something with the land”.
“We looked at various options before coming here,” he said.
“…and wine was a big thing for me,” Ms Lincoln added, referring to her winemaker background.
“So, we moved in 1993 and started planting vines in 1998.”
Ms Lincoln said the pair started with cuttings from other vineyards in the region and planted them in a nursery.
She said they had a blank canvas to work with, so all the greenery and infrastructure seen today was generated by their own hands.
“When we got here, there were no trees; it was a just a cow paddock,” Ms Lincoln said.
“So every tree you see here, we planted.”
Mr Gomm said they then built their home and the shed-turned-cellar door with predominately second-hand materials, as their policy of sustainability was important to maintain throughout the property from the very beginning.
Sustainability and regenerative farming are major aspects of Oranje Tractor and part of the reason why the couple think their products are popular.
“We’re about working with nature, not against it,” Mr Gomm said.
“Our thought process is to leave your patch better than when you started, don’t just crash and burn it.”
Ms Lincoln said she learned at an Adelaide wine conference last week that consumers are more interested in smaller, “more unusual” producers and those who keep organic and sustainable practices.
She was thrilled to learn the news, as that was what she and Mr Gomm had been doing for the past 20 years.
“I think it’s really important that people know our story,” Ms Lincoln said.
“We don’t have organic written all over the label…so locals who know us, know why they are paying say, $35 for a bottle of Riesling instead of $30.”
Mr Gomm added that the pair weren’t in the business of selling wine, but were in the business of “providing an experience…an unforgettable, sharable Instagram photo”.
“Wine is an interesting industry to be in because it’s so competitive,” he said.
“So for us, it’s all about this here…it’s about people walking down that path and, at the moment, smelling the citrus trees and having an experience.
“We’d rather have a conversation with someone here than try and rugby tackle them in a bottle shop to get them to try our wine.”
