When JJ McWilliam planted the first grapes in the region in 1913, it would have been impossible to see how good the future of the region would be. At the time, many people thought he was slightly mad but he must have had a premonition, for the Riverina, in particular Griffith, has blossomed with many large companies well established and producing great wine.
It has always been a favourite of mine with annual trips to see relatives and friends. The hospitality of the people is so natural and warm. The large number of Italian settlers, now more ‘Aussie’ than the real thing, have married into Australian families and brought with them the Italian way of life combined with a laid back attitude.
Casella Wines
Casella Wines, owners of the world famous Yellow Tail brand which took the USA by storm selling so much wine that it has been the leading brand there for several years, had a very humble beginning. Meeting John Casella many years ago just as Yellow Tail was taking off was an interesting experience. Here was a man on the cusp of world wine domination and he was more worried about the local fauna not being able to get a drink as they had fenced off the vineyards to protect the grapes from the kangaroos. No doubt John has changed over the years as his business has required him to change, but I will never forget meeting him and seeing how his feelings for the environment were very important to him.
The current Casella family come from good wine stock, they can trace their history in wine back to Sicily and the year 1820. Patriarch Filippo, who recently passed away, saw a future in Australia and emigrated here in 1957. He and his wife, Maria Patanè, who still lives on the property, moved to the small township of Yenda, just a few kilometres out of Griffith in 1952.
Their two eldest children, Rosa and Joe, were born in Italy but their youngest sons are dinky di Aussies as John and Marcello were both born in here. In 1965, after years of scrimping and saving, Filippo purchased 45 acres of farmland from a Mrs. Violet Shaw at Yenda, where she grew peaches, prunes, apricots and grapes. Within a short space of time (4 years) he built a tin shed which was known euphemistically as ‘The Winery.
John and Marcello helped him pour the concrete for the floor and a 4 tonne open fermenter was built to process the wines which were stored in large casks and concrete tanks. A cellar door was created with an old fibro shop, which was a general store in east Griffith.
Warburn Estate
For as long as I can remember, Warburn Estate have always had great swathes of vineyards – currently a 1000 hectares under vine and a crush capability of 40,000 tonnes.
Like Casella, it is a family-owned company (Sergi family) that has made huge investments and is reaping the rewards. Although the family emigrated from Reggio Calabria in 1952, it wasn’t until 1968 that they made their first official wine at Tharbogang. By the late 1990s, they had won nearly 400 medals and 10 trophies in just four years of entering wine shows.
More recently they have invested heavily ($26 million) in winery equipment and more vineyards to meet increasing demand for their products. Now the third generation, Antonio, has joined the company that has a successful philosophy that wine is there to drink, not to admire from afar.
Westend Estate
Medium-sized producer Westend Estate is headed by Bill Calabria and is what you would call a quiet achiever. His Durif has been winning awards for a number of years. Sold under the 3 Bridges label, daughter and PR manager Elizabeth, says 3 Bridges Durif has made wine critics realise what can be achieved with Riverina fruit.
Bill Calabria made the decision in the late 80’s that he was only going to produce premium wines. Bill knew the potential in the vineyards and he went about re-educating his growers – paying growers based on colour and not tones (he was the first to do this). Once the wines were in the tank, the next step was to show the wine industry how serious Bill was about making wines and selling them for greater then $20.00 per bottle.
The region may remain unknown except on the list of wine regions in the office of the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation, but the producers don’t seem to mind. Once tried, their wine speaks for itself, it can be top shelf and still value for money.
Glynis Macri - Glynis Macri has been visiting Italy for the past 20 years absorbing all that the country has to offer in the way of food and wine ...
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