Riverina
The vast irrigated flatlands of the Murrumbidgee River in southwestern NSW: the Riverina produces a staggering proportion of Australia's wine, and within that volume, some of the country's most extraordinary sweet wines from botrytis-affected Semillon that has no peer in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The Dossier
The Riverina is centred on Griffith, 570km southwest of Sydney: about 5 to 6 hours via the Hume or Sturt highways. Griffith is a well-developed regional city with a strong Italian-Australian heritage; the food scene reflects decades of European farming families who settled the irrigation area in the mid-20th century. The cellar door circuit around Griffith is compact and well-signposted; most of the major producers are within 20 minutes of the city centre.
Harvest runs January through April across the Riverina's range of varieties: the flat, irrigated conditions and reliable heat push most whites off early, with the reds following in March and April. Botrytis harvest, when it occurs, can extend into May as producers wait for the noble rot to develop fully across their Semillon. Spring (August to October) is the most pleasant visiting window; summer is hot and the region is most active during vintage. The Griffith Italian Festival and the Riverina Food and Wine Festival both draw visitors in their respective seasons.
Botrytis Semillon is the Riverina's greatest achievement: De Bortoli's Noble One is among Australia's most celebrated sweet wines and has been made here since 1982. The conditions that allow botrytis to develop across Semillon grapes in the morning fog and afternoon heat of the Riverina are almost uniquely suited to the task. The volume table wines produced here, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet in enormous quantities, are reliable and honest at their price points. The Italian-Australian food culture in Griffith is the region's other credential: pasta makers, salumi producers, and restaurants that feel transplanted from the Veneto.