At the end of 2019, Tumbarumba winery Obsession lost its entire eight hectare vineyard to the Black Summer bushfires, and owner Adrian Brayne lost his house. After the fires, COVID-19 also shut their cellar door for the following two years, Mr Brayne with no choice but to shift to online sales. Almost three years later, the winery is back open, is into the second season making wine again, and finding innovative ways to recover. "It was sort of a slow opening," Mr Brayne said. "It's only as things are starting to warm up now that we're starting to see a lot more tourists in the region." IN OTHER NEWS: Mr Brayne still hasn't had a chance to rebuild his house, opting to live in his caravan, but for him, "the business comes first". "It does take a personal toll, and there was a period after the fires of uncertainty," he said. "But it was such a good feeling to be making wine again in 2021." Last year, Mr Brayne's own vineyard was still so damaged from the fires it produced no grapes. So Mr Brayne began buying from other growers to create his own vintage. One of the new blends Mr Brayne made a Touriga, Temperanillo, Albarino and Rose blend - all new grape varieties that are not normally grown in the region. "The region always used to be Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the early days, with sparkling and then it moved over to being table wines," he said. "So having some different varietal mixes like that is definitely one of the interesting things to come out of 2021." Mr Brayne also made the pivotal switch to selling wine solely online before the pandemic hit, a move he credits with keeping the winery afloat. A lot of businesses in Wagga made the same move, according to visitor economy officer at Wagga City Council Kim Parker. "There were a lot of businesses that didn't have an e-commerce shopfront, and we've seen a lot of businesses move online," she said. "It's really strengthened our industry, we can look back at those tumultuous times and know it's put us in a stronger position and a more resilient one." Like Obsession Winery, and other businesses in the region, Ms Parker said Wagga's industry is still recovering from the last few years, but that is has a "bright" future. "Regional travel is front of mind for people," she said. "People are becoming more familiar with the city as well, and it's name and what it stands for." Mr Brayne is positive about the future of Obsession Winery too. He has started replanting his vineyard and is also planning a cellar door expansion to accommodate more people. "That will be an extension of the cellar door, a kitchen and a large deck space to look out over to the views of the Snowy Mountains," he said. "I'm really excited about that." Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: