Together, Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera form the Murrumbidgee Irrigation area (MIA) in the Riverina region of NSW. Otherwise known as the ‘food bowl of NSW’, the trio offer a fabulous food and wine blend of regional Australian produce, fused with a local history dating back to European immigration and the culinary traditions of all who came to call this place their home.
And like any area where the Italians arrived and set up shop, you will be amazed by the unbridled welcomes and a wide-spread, friendly insistence that you must stay longer and eat and drink more, just like nonna says.
Calabria Family Wines, Griffith NSW
In a dimly lit underground cellar in Griffith, with an antique chandelier and hundreds of wine bottles stacked up against the wall, I sit at a wooden table across from a row of glasses branded with the historic Calabria Family Wines logo. A welcoming Italian spirit fills the air at this Tuscan-style cellar door only a five-minutes drive from Griffith’s town centre. A host pours the vineyard’s favourites – vermentino, nero d’avola and pinot bianco. Then he nudges me to eat more of the cheese, olives and salami generously provided.
The filling of cups prompts conversation, and the endearing European way of gathering – with good food, quality wine and new friends on Riverina soil.
We all discover that Bill, the managing director of Calabria Family Wines, is somewhat of a rarity in the industry – as he’s allergic to alcohol. But armed with a sharp sense of smell, he has managed to create one of the region’s star wineries.
The staff also share the Calabria family’s immigration story. It’s one of ingenuity and hard work that’s familiar to many culturally diverse food and wine producers in this region. Bill’s parents were Italian immigrants who established the brand in 1945, and over the years the winery battled droughts and recession. Bill took over in 1995 and grew the company of four employees to the winery it is today; crushing more than 30,000 tonnes of grapes each year, and exporting to the USA and United Kingdom.
The family legacy is honoured in the popular Bélena range of wines, named after husband-and-wife team Bill and Lena (B-Lena). On the website, customers who purchase two or more bottles of the range (with at least one Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Rosé or Prosecco) can personalise their own wine label to share with their partner.
McWilliams’s Hanwood Estate cellar door, Hanwood NSW
Yearning to experience more of the region’s wine, I head to a Griffith icon: McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate cellar door. Established in 1917 by John James McWilliam, the son of a Northern Irish immigrant, McWilliam’s has survived six generations of winemakers.
The arched architecture of the 53-year-old cellar door is striking, shaped to the exact scale of a half-wine barrel. Inside, the arched ceiling with exposed beams is accentuated by streams of light billowing in through a glass panel wall. Above is a painted glass mural of an ox and cart carrying grapes down an old vineyard road.
I take my place on a long table and am greeted. by a spread of five wines including a touriga with berry notes, a full-bodied durif and an intense 10-year-old tawny.
Cellar door manager Paul Richardson explains that the secret to their great wine is the region’s warm climate, which often lessens the risk of disease. Water security, guaranteed by rainfall or Murrumbidgee irrigation, also helps control production.
“We have the climate and Italian heritage,” he says. “We’ve got history and we know our soils.”
McWilliam’s is known for its fortified wines (where the wine is blended with distilled grape spirits such as brandy), which can be savoured by the warmth of the indoor fireplace, or elevated on a cocktail-making experience. I’m taught how to make two chilled fortified cocktails using the signature drops – they’re light and refreshing, but also unlike anything I’ve sipped before.
Old fashioned fun and community spirit
The Red Door in Narrandera is a welcoming local café:-cum-shop known for its relaxed atmosphere and friendly country-town hospitality, and it’s cool boutique that you walk through to reach the food offerings. So while I wait for my toastie – I go for the pizza special complete with ham, salami, mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce – I try on a lovely frock and sunnies, and leave with a colourful pair of sunnies and homemade earrings.
The Yard Narrandera is another local fave, and it’s as quirky as it is friendly. With 1950s vibes and decor, it was created by a couple who came to town with their two kids with the dream of setting up a coffee van. Now that pastel-coloured van has expanded into a courtyard with 1950s cars, colourful umbrellas and an eclectic collection of chairs and tables that come together in a fun and relaxing ensemble. It dishes up Greek-inspired dishes such as souvlaki, gozlemes and jaffles, and they make great gelato. I sip on a great coffee, enjoy a chocolate slice and listen to the happy banter.
Both places are about good old fashioned fun and community spirit.
Zecca is another popular restaurant, run by three young Australian-Italians: Daniel D’Aquino, Ben Di Rosa and Michaela Di Rosa. Chef Ben also attributes his cooking skills to his nonna. Situated in a revamped building that used to serve as the Rural Bank, the restaurant makes everything from scratch. That includes pasta, sauces, breads, gelati, antipasti, cheese, preserves and olive oils.
The following day, I visit the 100-year-old Catania Fruit Salad Farm, owned by Joe and Sharon Maugeri. I head off on a bumpy farm safari ride in a magnificent rusty van to see more than 60 types of fruits growing. There’s an abundance of apples, pears, olives, chestnuts, cherries, peaches, pistachios and prunes.
I then head into the main house, a mud brick farmhouse circa 1912. Here, I taste a freshly picked blood orange, Sharon’s homemade preserves, wine – created ‘the Sicilian way’, as taught to Joe by his Italian family – and ‘pissed prunes’ (d’Agen prunes in port). I’m told you can even stay here, in a fully self-contained farmhouse on 50-acres of working farmland (plus space to camp), and make a promise to myself to come back soon.
Pages on Pine Restaurant and Grill, Leeton NSW
The next stop is a 40-minute drive away, so this gives my stomach time to make room for lunch. Pages on Pine is a French restaurant with modern Australian influences located in the small but charming town of Leeton. The establishment is owned by a husband-and-wife duo, French immigrant Eric and Vanessa Pages.
The golden restaurant interior complements the wooden vintage floor, sourced from the town’s iconic art deco 1930s Roxy Theatre. Although the menu is local, seasonal and changing regularly, Eric recommends visitors try the crispy confit duck leg. I also indulge in a cheese platter for dessert; a necessary precursor to visiting Coolamon Cheese, located one hour and many canola fields away, on the following day.
Created by microbiologist turned cheesemaker Barry Lillywhite, Coolamon Cheese is the destination for cheese-lovers who aren’t shy when it comes to tasting traditional and inventive varieties. You can even go on an educational tour, learning the art and science of creating the perfect cheese.
Set in a former 1920s co-op on the town’s main street, the farmhouse-style building houses a cheese kitchen, deli, factory and a light-filled courtyard.
Excited by the huge array of dairy produce, I try 12 flavours of artisan European and Australian-style cheeses. My favourites are hard cheeses infused with Indigenous ingredients such as lemon myrtle and river mint.
Luckily for me, my trip to the Riverina doesn’t need to end any time soon, so I relax with a regional drop and dream away, lost in moments of handmade dairy heaven. Savouring the international flavours I’ve experienced throughout this diverse destination, I block out the world beyond the Riverina and remain in a delicious fusion of local tastes.
Rex flies to Griffith and Narranda/Leeton. Book your next adventure Here
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