Pack a hearty appetite and buckle up for an epic road trip across the food bowl of the Riverina, in the southwest of New South Wales. Indulge in Italian wines and fine food in Griffith before making your way to Wagga Wagga – the largest inland city in the state – by way of more wineries, distilleries and fertile farmland. 

Sip your way along the wine trail

As you wander the endless plains of the Riverina, passing row after row of grapevines, you’ll see why this is the biggest wine producing region in New South Wales. Seek out vineyards and cellar doors centred around the town of Griffith to sample the Riverina’s signature shiraz and chardonnay, as well as durif and Mediterranean varieties such as montepulciano and pinot grigio.

Nibble on antipasto as you work your way through a flight of Italian-style wines at the Calabria Family Wines cellar door, conveniently located in the heart of Griffith. Then head east of town to De Bortoli Wines’ Bilbul Estate to taste up to eight seasonal drops at the winery’s historic cellar door – book ahead to try vintages of De Bortoli’s renowned Noble One botrytis semillon. 

Drive another 10 minutes past De Bortoli to ‘Cheese + Chill’ – tasting six wines paired with seasonal local produce – at the certified-organic Yarran Wines. Be sure to snag a bottle or two of Yarran’s hand-bottled, unfiltered Montepulciano Pét Nat (Pétillant Naturel), available exclusively at the cellar door. 

Tap into 145 years of winemaking heritage as you step into the giant wine barrel that is the McWilliam’s cellar door south of Griffith. Sip a glass of the historic winery’s tawny by the fireplace, enjoy a guided tasting flight, or discover how just well fortified wine and chocolate go together with a Fortified x Cuvée Chocolate Flight. 

Push on towards the Riverina hub of Wagga Wagga, stopping in to sample excellent reds, whites and fortified wines at Toorak Winery and picking up a bottle of Tramillon (an interesting blend of gewürztraminer and semillon) at Lillypilly Estate, both in Leeton. 

Top off your tasting odyssey at Borambola Wines, near Wagga Wagga, sampling the estate’s wines, beers and apple cider, or to simply relaxing in the grounds of the winery’s elegant 1880s homestead.

Sniff out spirits and brews

Follow the delicious fumes wafting through the heart of Griffith to the family-run Aisling Distillery, which creates small-batch single malt whiskies, crisp gins, rum and vodka from Riverina grains. 

Taste the sunshine in the grains that end up as delicious whiskey, vodka and gin at Whitton Malt House, set on an immense estate that’s a short detour off the road between Griffith and Leeton. Be guided through a whiskey tasting after a round of ‘aqua’ golf on the lake or a tag-and-release fishing session, then settle in for lunch or a paddock-to-plate dinner (on Fridays and Saturdays). Or linger for longer by checking in to a luxe one- or two-bedroom lakefront villa and firing up the barbecue on the verandah for a cosy dinner.

And sip on beers with a difference at Wagga Wagga brewpub Thirsty Crow Brewing – try the smooth vanilla milk stout with the smoky barbecue slow-cooking on weekends, or sample four of the current craft brews in a tasting paddle. 

Meet local farmers

Transform your visit to the Riverina by meeting some of the producers at the very farms their produce is grown. You’ll want to reach out and snatch fruit from the branches as you tour the vineyards and orderly groves of trees at Catania Fruit Salad Farm near Griffith. Reward yourself with a tasting plate of fruits, nuts, preserves and wines at the end of the tour – you can also stay the night in a three-bedroom cottage on the property. 

Take a big bite of the Griffith foodie scene with a tailored itinerary courtesy of Bella Vita Griffith Tours, which partners with local farmers and producers to take you straight to the source of the fabulous meals on offer around the region.

Then start your Wagga Wagga foodie adventure at the Riverina Producers Market, held each Thursday afternoon at the Wagga Wagga Showground. Here local farmers set up stalls to offer freshly picked produce – you’ll find locally grown apples, eggs, garlic and more. You can also find a great selection of local gourmet fare at Knights Deli in Wagga Wagga, with most produce sourced from within a 160km radius of the store.

Call ahead and make an appointment to meet the growers and indulge in locally grown olives at Wollundry Grove Olives near Wagga Wagga – it’s famous for its fine oils and table olives. And meet the farmer, learn how a strawberry farm works and pick your own punnet at Bidgee Strawberries and Cream, also in Wagga.

Explore Griffith’s Italian heritage

With around 60 per cent of Griffith’s residents having Italian heritage, you’ll spot the European nation’s unmistakable influence in the wines, cheeses and olives you devour across the region. If you can time your visit for A Taste of Italy, Griffith’s festival of Italian food in August, you’ll be rewarded with a week of Italian-themed events and celebrations of culinary traditions such as making salami and preserving olives. 

At any time of the year you can indulge in delicious modern Australian fare with an Italian twist at Limone Dining, which showcases local seasonal produce in an ever-evolving menu of fine food. Chef and owner Luke Piccolo grew up cooking with an abundant supply of fresh produce from nearby Piccolo Family Farm, a working property that provides most of the restaurant’s herbs, garnishes, fruits and vegetables. Keep an eye on the farm’s events page for details of events like live jazz and blues concerts.

Delight in freshly made pasta and exquisite regional Italian fare at Zecca Griffith, a casual eatery housed in a 1930s Art Deco building. And grab an Italian treat for the road at Bertoldo’s Pasticceria, a family bakery that’s been a Griffith institution since 1952.