Wine

Riverina: Farming, Food And Wine

The Riverina region has undergone a renaissance that’s seeing its established traditions given a fresh makeover. The result is a dynamic food and wine experience presenting local produce with European flair.

The Riverina has long been referred to as Australia’s food bowl. This south western region of New South Wales between Griffith and Wagga Wagga is abundant with citrus and stonefruit, grapes, figs, olives, nuts, lamb, beef, chicken, wheat and rice. What is not so widely known is that there is a shift happening in this rural farming centre. It’s being led by a growing number of innovative chefs, winemakers and growers dedicated to providing new and unique wine, food and agritourism experiences.

Dining Out

The wealth of fresh produce available in the Riverina, combined with a strong history of Italian immigration following the World Wars, means there is no shortage of quality places to dine.

Chef Luke Piccolo, who owns and runs Griffith’s renowned Limone Dining, cut his teeth at Sydney restaurants Pilu at Freshwater and Pendolino before returning home to Griffith to open his own fine-dining establishment. Luke, who is of Italian heritage, won the Council of Italian Restaurants Australia (CIRA) Young Talent Award in 2013.

His nonna, who cooks beautiful rustic Italian food, was the first to show him the ropes in the kitchen.

“When he left school, Luke came to help at our family restaurant and we were blown off the planet with what he could do,” his father, Peter reveals.

“We were blind to what had been going on for the past decade. Then all of a sudden there he was in the kitchen at 16 years of age with amazing cooking skills, work ethic and creations.”

Luke’s nonna taught him about the no waste policy, which you can now see woven into Limone Dining. The place is built almost completely from recycled materials and Luke offers an evolving seasonal menu featuring local produce. Think fresh tagliolini with spring lamb ragu followed by char-grilled quail with pancetta finished off with blood orange almond sponge and lemon custard.

For full-blown Italian dining in Griffith, visit Zecca Handmade Italian in the old bank building. Run by returning locals, Ben, Michaela and Daniel, Zecca’s regularly changing chalkboard menu is packed with delicious Italian staples.

Their Maltagliati, casarecce and pappardelle pastas are lovingly made by hand each day. Plates of house-made antipasti are packed with olives, salumi and baccala from local Murray cod.

Another restaurant not to pass by is Pages on Pine in the main street of Leeton. It is a stalwart of the area, run by French-born chef Eric Pages and his wife Vanessa. They serve up French fare with a creative twist and are huge supporters of local producers, including Coolamon Cheese, Bruceron pork, Riverina lamb and Randall Organics. They also offer a three-course set menu, matched with Leeton wines from Lillypilly and Toorak.

Coolamon Cheese

A nirvana for cheese-lovers has been formed inside an historic 1920s co-op building in the main street of Coolamon. Cheesemaker Barry Lillywhite and his son Anton Green have filled the space with top-of-the-line cheese making facilities, a commercial kitchen, deli and generously sized dining area.

All their cheeses are handcrafted on site using just four simple ingredients: local Riverina milk, starter culture, rennet and salt.

“By hand-making our cheeses in small batches we can tend to them more closely, watch them mature cheese by cheese and release them to our customers at exactly the right time,” Barry explains.

Barry’s signature collection of native Australian-flavoured cheeses pack a punch. Right now he has lemon myrtle, river mint, bush tomato and alpine pepper cheeses on the menu.

Other cheeses available include vintage cheddars and oil-infused fettas, blues and runny Bries and Camemberts.

His soft cheeses are a far cry from varieties you find in the supermarket.

“Our soft cheeses are not stabilised and this is why they are soft and gooey and have a mind of their own,” he explains.

“In fact, the only preservative we use in any of our cheeses is salt.”

Visitors to Coolamon Cheese can taste test the cheeses or sit down to a cheese-inspired meal from the cafe menu. Here the cheeses are served with a range of gourmet accompaniments like tempura saltbush, cold roast lamb, pickles, onion jam, sticky prunes and balsamic strawberries. Guests are also invited to take a tour of the factory led by one of their cheese makers.

“We want visitors to understand where their food comes from and the processes it goes through to get to their plates,” Barry says.

Wine a plenty

The Riverina is home to 20,000 hectares of vines, making it the largest wine producing region in NSW and the second largest in Australia behind Riverland in South Australia.

The region is well established, having been pioneered in 1913 by the famous McWilliam family of the Hunter Valley.

Riverina wineries are largely family owned with many having Italian heritage including Calabria Family Wines, Mino & Co, Lillypilly Wines and De Bortoli.

Some of the families behind these labels actually began making wine out of necessity when they first migrated to Australia, so they could enjoy a glass with their meal as they would have back home in Italy.

“At the end of the long working day, my grandfather found he looked forward to a glass of home-made wine,” Elizabeth Calabria of Calabria Family Wines explains.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t have the money to invest in all of the necessary equipment to make it, so he took over my grandmother’s laundry tubs and improvised,” she continues. “Soon enough, he was producing wines for the local Europeans who had also made Griffith their home.”

Ideal conditions

The Murrumbidgee Irrigation scheme, coupled with rich red soils and a warm Mediterranean climate, allows most varieties of grapes to grow well.

Although the area was once looked upon as a producer of table wines, successful Italian varieties are fast becoming the star.

“What is exciting is what we are learning about alternative varieties, such as Montepulciano, Nero d’Avola, Aglianico, Vermentino and Pinot Bianco,” chief winemaker at Calabria Family Wines, Emma Norbiato says.

“By controlling the yield and the canopy, we are seeing some beautiful fruit and making some exciting wines.

“In the next five years, I would like to think we will see more thoughtful viticulture and winemaking in our alternative varieties. Montepulciano, Nero d’Avola, Pinot Bianco are new to our region and haven’t even reached their potential yet.”

Vermentino has also been a successful addition to Lillypilly Wines. Their first vintage of the dry Italian white was released in 2015 and went straight on to win the trophy for Best Dry White Varietal at the Perth Royal Wine Show and another gold at the Small Vigneron Awards in Canberra.

General manager of Mino & Co, Nick Guglielmino says while Italian wines are not new to Griffith, there is now a higher demand for them.

“We are experiencing a time where these varieties are being more accepted by consumers,” he says.

“Griffith indeed has a rich history of Italian culture, so it makes sense for us to follow the style of wines we are familiar with, that of Italian authenticity yet grown in Australian conditions similar to that of their origins.”