The Riverina wine region is bigger than all the other wine regions in New South Wales combined, and the bulk of all the wine in the NSW zone is produced here. Although it's not the best-known region in the country, it's responsible for most of Australia's mass-produced wine, but there are a number of boutique wineries coming to the fore with some excellent wines.
Riverina stretches all the way from Broken Hill, Albury, Parkes and Leeton. The region itself is based around the city of Griffith. The area is hot and dry during summer - perfect for most of the exotic reds produced there, and recently, despite the heat, whites have also started to do well too.
The area is steeped in rich Italian history. The first wineries here were established by Italian immigrants in the mid-20th century after the Second World War. This accounts for the exotic names of the winery owners and winemakers: Rossetto, De Bortoli, Sergi and Zappacosta are some of the Italian descendants still involved in wine cultivation today. The McWilliams family initiated the development of the wine industry in Riverina when they started producing sweet wines in the first part of the 20th century. Today they carry on the tradition with plantings of Grenache, Tyrian and Verdelho. The area really showcases many foreign grape varieties like Durif, Trebbiano, Colombard, Marsanne and Touriga.
In keeping with its historical beginnings, Riverina is probably best known for its fortified wine, a late-harvest botrytis Semillon produced by a number of wineries. A few of the alternative reds that do well here include Durif and Petit Verdot, as well as Saint Macaire, a Bordeaux native, along with Gewurztraminer and Viognier.
You may like to try the wines from Lillypilly Estate to sample the wines from the Riverina wine region.
You’ll find more wineries from Riverina wine region by clicking here: Wineries from Riverina
Visit these boutique wineries to grow your knowledge of boutique wine and boutique wineries:
