Our Team
ChaLou is a family-owned, bud-to-bottle winery in Orange, NSW.
Founded by winemakers Nadja Wallington and Steve Mobbs, ChaLou was born from a shared love of growing grapes, making wine and creating something that reflects the place they call home.
From vineyard to bottle, every wine is shaped by the season, the site and the decisions made along the way. It’s a hands-on approach that keeps us closely connected to the land and allows us to craft wines with authenticity, character and a true sense of place.
Together with our small team, we welcome visitors to our cellar door in Emu Swamp to share the wines, stories and people behind ChaLou.
Since establishing, ChaLou Wines has received several prestigious awards:
Since establishing ChaLou, the winery and its founders have received recognition from some of Australia’s most respected wine institutions.
In 2019, Nadja was selected as part of the Future Leaders Group.
In November 2022, Nadja was honored as a Len Evans scholar.
In December 2022, Nadja was named Young Winemaker of the Year.
In August 2025, ChaLou Wines received the Halliday Dark Horse Winery award.
While we’re proud of these achievements, our focus remains the same: growing great grapes, crafting thoughtful wines, and sharing them with visitors who make the journey to our corner of Orange.
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Nadja Wallington, Vigneron & Winemaker
Nadja fell in love with the wine industry culture while in high school, working holidays in the family vineyard and winery in Canowindra. Since leaving highschool Nadja has been making wine extensively throughout Australia as well as overseas in California, South Africa and France. In 2014 Nadja moved to Orange for a winemaking role; she saw the potential of the region to make world class wines and the opportunities it presented as an emerging region . In 2020 she purchased a vineyard with her husband Steve and together they launched ChaLou Wines in 2021.
Nadja has been the recipient of numerous industry accolades and Scholarships. Most recently she was named as the Young Winemaker of the year and has made the Top Young Guns of Wines in 2022 and 2023. Nadja is a Len Evans tutorial Scholar and alumni of the Wine Australia Future Leaders program.
Nadja is passionate about making expressive wines and using sustainable practices throughout their business. Her wines are thoughtful and detailed with a respect for site and connection to the land.
Nadja Wallington can be contacted at nadja@chalouwines.com.au.
Steve Mobbs, Vigneron & Winemaker
Steve grew up on a family vineyard on the North Coast of N.S.W. Bago Vineyards. After completing his bachelor degree in Wine Science at Wagga Wagga he spent 5 years travelling the world making wine in 5 different countries. In 2013 he joined the winemaking team at Cumulus Estate Wines in the Orange Region. In 2017 he started looking after Nadja’s family business Wallington Wines overseeing winemaking and viticulture. In 2020 Nadja and Steve purchased their very own property in Orange and started to develop their own brand ChaLou Wines. Steve has a hands on approach to all aspects of the business and is passionate about building a wholistic and sustainable wine brand.
Steve is a natural green thumb and enjoys working with the vineyard to harness its potential. Working our land using sustainable practices, challenging conventional techniques and finding innovative solutions to improve the quality of the fruit.
Steve Mobbs can be contacted at chalouwines@gmail.com.
Barnacle, General Manager
Barnacle is a very important member of our ChaLou team. Barnacle loves living and working at ChaLou wines. He is forever busy checking on the animals and keeping Steve and Nadja in line. Always the first up each morning, he cannot wait to get stuck into each days activities. He especially loves pruning, as there are lots of sticks getting thrown about.
Barnacle is always excited to welcome our guests and cannot wait to meet you when you come to visit to ChaLou Wines
Barnacle can be contacted at chalouwines@gmail.com.
Alex Rashford, Assistant Winemaker
Alex’s extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, particularly as a sommelier in Sydney curating wine lists, sparked his interest in winemaking. His natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge led him to ChaLou Wines, where he joined the team for the 2022 vintage to experience firsthand the winemaking process.
Alex was drawn to the diversity of tasks, hands-on work, and creative aspects of winemaking, which inspired him to enroll in winemaking studies and pursue a new career path. His time spent traveling and working overseas, coupled with his background in food and beverage and his innate creativity, brings a wealth of experience to ChaLou. He is passionate about showcasing the elegant expression of cool climate sites and is dedicated to the meticulous details required for crafting expressive and honest wines.
Kathryn Batty, Communications & Cellar Door Manager
Kathryn brings a background in brand storytelling, customer experience and creative marketing to ChaLou Wines. She is passionate about creating thoughtful, aesthetically driven experiences that connect people to wine, place and story.
Originally from Cronulla in Sydney, Kathryn has spent the past eight years running successful lifestyle retail business We Are Mindful, with experience spanning communications, events, visual merchandising, buying and social media.
Recently relocating to Orange to be closer to family and embrace regional life, Kathryn was drawn to the warmth of the local community and the depth of the region’s food and wine culture. Joining the ChaLou team felt like a natural next step.
Her role across communications, marketing and cellar door combines creativity with hospitality, helping share the stories behind ChaLou Wines while creating a welcoming and memorable experience for visitors.
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