Hi Cathy,Thanks so much for your feedback. Glad to here you enjoyed the wine selection and atmosphere.
During a recent trip to Australia we found ourselves in Orange and were delighted to stumble across Ferment. Newly opened and housed in an interesting old building this fabulous wine bar combines an edgy interior with a great selection of local wines and produce to feast on. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable about what they served. A real gem!
We were there for only a short time (less than an hour), but enjoyed the wines and the food a lot. Lovely cheeses and charcuterie platters, most, if not all, local produce. The card system, and the fact that you get the wine yourseld, and choose how much as well as which wine, and that you know what it costs from the get go, make it like a game as well as providing great tastes. Some were wines we had never heard of, which was a plus as well. We'll definitely be back whenever we're in Orange. For longer next time, we hope.
I am sorry that you had a disappointing experience at Ferment. Without the date of your visit - we have checked our records and the date of your review cannot have been the date you visited - we can not provide specific feedback. However your post would indicate that you don't understand the nature of our business. We are neither a restaurant nor a fast outlet. What we are is a regional wine tasting and education centre. While we do serve food to compliment the wine tasting and endeavour to do so in an efficient manner, our prime business is wine tasting and sales. We pride ourselves on the one on one experience we provide to our customers. Hence your perception that the staff member was "chatting" the other customers, was in all likelihood a staff member answering the questions of a customer about the wines and the region. While we endevour to staff so that delays are minimised, the nature of our business is that there may be times where we have customers who are particularly interested in the wines and therefore require additional staff time. If you have visited cellar doors in the past, you would be familiar with this dynamic.
A great place with excellent hosts who are friendly and welcoming, a cosy fire and a good selection of wines. Ferment is a must on a visit to Orange.
Just what Orange has needed for some time. Great atmosphere! Great staff and of course, great wine and food from the surrounding district and further afield!
This place is awesome. Most of the wines are in glass cases and you get a card to access a taste, 1/2 pour or a glass. We went the Friday night of the long June weekend and the bar was busy but comfortable with a mix of local and Sydney people. We shared a table with a group of local ladies and had great chats on the greater region. The food is shared plates of cheese, olives and cured meats and dips and while we did not have any as we were heading to dinner it all looked great. When you want to leave you hand in the card and they tally the bill. We had about 7 or 8 tastes and the cost was about $26.
I visited Orange for a business meeting last week and dropped in to the Ferment Wine Centre on Hill St for pre-dinner drinks and snacks. What an excellent enterprise; top quality local wines are highly visible and the cheese/cooked meats were delicious. I have never before seen the wall-mounted dispensers which can provide either a mouthful, a half-glass or a full glass of the wine of your choice. The wine is automatically replaced by argon for preservation. The staff were very friendly and obviously know their wines and food. Highly recommended; when in Orange do not miss Ferment.
Thanks for the recommendation Peter, we're glad you and your friends had a great time.
We went in this super little wine bar on the first day they opened and were blown away by the staff's knowledge, the large choice of wines, the lovely snacks and the tasteful decor in the historic building which they had restored. It is the closest thing to an Italian enoteca I have seen outside of Italy. Don't miss it!!