BEYOND THE JUICE

Journal No. 01

The Best of Wine Lies Beyond the Juice

A note from Dan & Taz Mortimer
19 September 2026 · Orange, NSW

What is ‘Beyond the Juice’?

Welcome to ‘Beyond the Juice’, our new personal journal from Mortimers Wines. This is where we share the stories that don’t feature on the label or in the tasting notes. The stories that make the wine Mortimers.

Some articles will begin with wine. Others with a person, a moment or a memory. So before you make your own memories over a bottle of Mortimers, we’d like to share some of the stories that went into making it.

Where did the name ‘Beyond the Juice’ come from?

Years ago, Dan wrote a poem that began with a simple question: What makes a wine good?

Is it the fruit? The region? The vintage? The time it spends in French oak? The way it opens up in the glass or changes as time goes on? All of those things matter. They speak to the long days in the vineyard, the tough decisions made during winemaking and the daily gamble against the weather gods.

But when we think about the bottles we remember most, we rarely remember the tasting notes first. We remember where we were, and who we were with. We remember who poured the first glass, what was on the table, who pulled up a chair and who stayed longer than planned.

We remember toasting the bride, celebrating a promotion, the long lunch that became dinner, and the peaceful glass shared when the kids had finally gone to bed. The wine was part of the memory, but it was never the whole memory.

Dan’s poem put that feeling into words:

‘We believe the best of wine lies beyond the juice.’

That line has stayed with us and as we step into the next chapter of Mortimers Wines, it feels like the right place to begin. We want to put our own stamp on the Mortimers legacy while staying true to the story Mum and Dad began all those years ago. It’s a hell of a story, but every story needs a conclusion, and that’s where you come in.

The poem ends:

‘We hope that you enjoy our wine, and should you take some home,
We hope it helps you forge some special moments of your own.’

We love knowing that all the work behind a bottle can eventually play a small part in someone else’s special moment. Human moments. Connection. For us, that’s what wine has always been about.

A little about us, Dan and Taz

We are Dan and Taz, the next generation of the Mortimer family to lead Mortimers Wines.

For Dan, the vineyard carries memories that began long before he understood the work, patience and responsibility behind it. He helped his family plant vines here as a child. At the time, it was simply part of growing up on a winery. Today, those same rows mean something very different.

Taking on the family business means respecting what Peter, Julie and the Mortimer family have built over more than thirty years in the Orange wine region. It also means taking responsibility for where the story goes next.

For Taz, the future of Mortimers is closely connected to how people feel when they spend time with us. The welcome should be genuine. The mood should be relaxed. A visit should feel less like a formal tasting and more like being invited into someone’s home.

We are incredibly proud of the Mortimers Wines story and honoured to be the ones writing its next chapter. During our time as custodians, we want to give you a closer look at what goes into every bottle.

We’ll share the work behind the scenes, introduce you to the people who play a part in what we do and, hopefully, make you feel a little more connected to the place and the wines.

What comes next for Mortimers Wines?

In the months ahead, you’ll hear more directly from us. As we share more from behind the scenes, we invite you to visit us, get to know us and become part of our story.

We’ll continue to make cellar-worthy wines, but why wait? The best bottle is the one you’re enjoying now.

For those who have supported the Mortimers Wines journey so far, we thank you. And for those who haven’t yet, we invite you to experience wine the way we believe it was intended — in company.

Welcome to ‘Beyond the Juice’. Pull up a chair. We’ll pour the first glass.

Dan and Taz xx
Mortimers Wines — Made for the Table.