Bruce Tyrrell didn't disappoint.

"He basically told me that as a winemaker I made a pretty good footballer," Mortimer said.

"He suggested I find someone whose wines I consistently like and ask them to be my winemaker - and don't ask what they charge.

"He said you can't look someone in the eye and say it's a good wine if you don't like it yourself."

So, in brutally honest hindsight, what was the chardonnay like?

"It was crap, terrible."

It was a lesson well learnt, because it's history now that Mortimer approached Orange winemaker Simon Gilbert, and they're still together 28 years later, producing some outstanding cool climate wines under the Mortimers label.

His production has grown to about 20,000 cases annually, he has 15 acres under vines, consisting of chardonnay, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, shiraz, cabernet and merlot.

His cellar door, on the old March Public School site, has a lovely feel and he and Gilbert are about to share a lease on a 30-acre property nearby that will add riesling to his range.

In short, he's flying. It has been a long but fruitful journey for a former rugby league star who didn't know what he wanted to do after his glittering career with the Canterbury Bulldogs ended in 1987.

"All I knew was that I wanted my five boys to grow up in the country," he explained.

"So we moved here, I got a job at the local television station, but with five boys under 12, I needed another income so I planted grapes.

"The wine game was relatively new here but getting bigger, and I was only going to grow grapes ... yet here we are."

He played alongside two of his brothers during the Bulldogs' glory years, so family has always been important to the Mortimers - and clearly still is.

For example, his five daughters-in-law have the final say in what rose they will produce each vintage.

"We get a whole host of blends together and they taste and pick the one we go with. It's a great bonding day for the family.

"The first year we did it, the wine won the trophy for best rose at the Orange Wine Show."

Does that mean they have great palates?

"It means it was a massive fluke, because they haven't done it since," he said, breaking into a huge grin.

His shiraz cabernet blend is named after his wife, Jules.

"It's the best we do ... it would be a braver man than me who names a wine after his wife and it's from his entry level range," he said.

"We've only made it five times in 25 years when the fruit is sufficiently good to be of trophy standard."

Now son Daniel, a former premiership player himself with the Roosters, is putting his toe in the business too.

"He's learning from the ground up and we'll see if he grows to love it the way I do.

"My other boys have their own careers, so if the Mortimer name is to continue in wine, it will be Daniel's call."

MADE FOR SUMMER

Mortimers Kangaroobie

Sauvignon Blanc, 2022

$24

Another variety that Orange does very well. This is from the nearby Kangaroobie vineyard and is straw coloured with tropical fruit aromas ... a precursor of what's to follow. Very bright, vibrant flavours of passionfruit, melon and kiwifruit. There's a dab of nectarine richness in there too. The acid has a lime citrus edge that brings freshness. Good, easy summer drinking.

BERRY FLAVOUR TO SAVOUR

Mortimers Kangaroobie

Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022

$28

A deep maroon with purple highlights, this is medium bodied and again comes from the Kangaroobie vineyard. It has plum, mulberry and blueberry flavours with a sprinkle of cocoa in the background. The flavours are bright and satisfying and there's a tangy, sour cherry note as well. The oak brings a spicy lift to the finish.

ELEGANT PACKAGE

Mortimers Jules

Shiraz Cabernet, 2021

$75

The fruit for this comes from the family's Chestnut Garth vineyard - it's the best of what they can do and only made in the best years. It's a beautifully smooth wine, with deep flavours of black cherry, blueberry and chocolate with hints of coffee and spice. There's no shortage of flavour or length here, but in a supremely elegant package.