Big Rivers is a GI (Geographical Indication) created in 1996 which refers to several Australian wine regions in western NewSouthWales and northwestern Victoria. The entire southwestern quarter of New South Wales is covered by the zone, whose name is a reference to the famous Murray and Darling rivers and the lesser-known Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers (the latter means Big Water in the local Aboriginal language). Big Rivers measures 650 kilometers (400 miles) across, and produces around 75 percent of New South Wales' wine, and is one of Australia's most prolific wine-producing areas.
Riverina is the largest of Big Rivers' four wine regions.
This vast, almost perfectly square area covers 4000 square miles (10,360 square km) of central-southern New South Wales. It is a reliable source of many millions of hectoliters of wine every Vintage, most of which is from high-yielding vines and is destined for sale in bulk. At the centre of Riverina is the well-known wine production town of Griffith.
The second-largest region is Murray Darling, which stretches from the Victorian border with South Australia in the west, to Balranald in NSW in the east.
Perricoota occupies a southern enclave of New South Wales and is small compared to its huge Big Rivers neighbors. Finally, Swan Hill, like Murray Darling, straddles the New South Wales-Victoria border.
It is difficult to usefully describe the growing conditions of such a large area, but the general pattern involves a continental Climate, hot and Dry with low rainfall. This leaves Big Rivers relatively free of fungal diseases that might otherwise reduce the region's all-important yields.
Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
wines from the region of Big Rivers go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of oriental stuffed vegetables, cannelloni of meat or magret with pepper.
On the nose in the region of Big Rivers often reveals types of flavors of citrus, earth or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of citrus fruit, green apple or minerality. In the mouth in the region of Big Rivers is a powerful.
