A vineyard just outside the Central West township of Canowindra could just be the grazing opportunity a savvy prime lamb or cattle producer is seeking.
The Falls Vineyard presents an opportunity to purchase a well-developed vineyard or be converted back to lucerne, Prime Lambs or cattle production.
Despite producing eight to 12 tonnes per hectare per annum of premium wine grapes, The Falls Vineyard climate and water security will draw the eye of someone looking at fodder production or finishing livestock.
Producers will look at the outstanding water supply with a substantial 107 megalitre lake and two irrigation bores with a total 400ML licence.
The Falls Vineyard is 107 hectares (264 acres) in a prime location, with easy access to Canowindra (three minutes), Orange (one hour), Cowra (20 minutes) and Sydney (four hours).
An abundant supply of high-mineral, low-salinity water is provided by the Belubula River and an underground aquifer.
The volcanic soil has a high, balanced mineral content (similar to South Australia's Coonawarra soil).
It has sealed road frontage and features highly fertile soils situated in very picturesque surrounds.
The vineyard has been professionally designed and laid out to handle all climatic weather conditions for anyone looking at producing fine grapes.
The state of the art computer controlled irrigation is able to isolate any particular row of vines to ensure they are receiving adequate water.
Roses, the same family as grape vines, are planted at the end of vine rows to provide early warning of pests and disease so nutrients and water can be modified to protect the vines.
The initial plantings occurred in 1997 and today there are approximately 100 hectares under vine involving a full range of Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.
The first harvest was picked in 2000 from which the first vintage for Falls Wines was produced and released in late 2001.
Subsequent years have seen limited releases of various vintages of different varieties including some blends.
The Falls Vineyard lies in the Belubula Basin at an altitude of 350 metres.
Here, high altitude air cools the basin to a perfect 15 to 28 degrees Celsius range, allowing longer grape development which produces superior flavours and aromas.
Consistent winter rainfall nurtures the grapes while good drainage maximises catchment with excess water running into a large dam.