Stories of Success and Resilience – the Riverland Wine Exhibition Opens

Riverland Wine will today open an exhibition of powerful photographs and stories about the success and resilience of the region’s wine industry at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide.

The Riverland Wine Exhibition highlights the region’s journey as Australia’s largest producer, its diversity and challenges. It features grape growers, winemakers, hospitality and accommodation providers as well as community members.

The Riverland is one of Australia’s most important winegrowing regions and a major contributor to exports and the South Australian economy. Over the past two years, it has been fighting against Chinese tariffs, rising transport costs and floods, among other challenges.

Riverland Wine Executive Officer Lyndall Rowe said the month-long exhibition, which the organisation hoped to tour regionally, shared stories of success and resilience within the Riverland community.

“These amazing images and short stories capture the experiences of families who came to the region as migrants or as soldier settlers, of the importance of the wine industry in supporting local sporting and community clubs, of transport operators and farm hands, and of the young winemakers focusing on small batch wines with unique flavour profiles, organic blends and new world varieties,” Ms Rowe said.

“We have families who have worked the land and built their businesses for decades, sharing their love for the vines and old-world varieties, and we have everyone from the Waikerie Football Club President, who manages a vineyard, to tourism providers who are doing everything they can to share their love for this unique region, all sharing their stories.”

Highlighting the diversity of grapes grown, there are more than 85 varieties grown on Riverland vines, with 80 per cent of the wine produced exported to more than 100 countries. The value of the Riverland vineyard assets to the Australian industry is approximately $400 million.

The Riverland Wine Exhibition will run from May 5 to June 1, 2023. It is hoped to then tour regionally.

About Riverland Wine
Riverland Wine is the face of the Riverland wine industry and proudly represents both South Australian Riverland winegrape growers and wineries. It is the union of the Riverland Winegrape Growers Association (RWGA) and the Riverland Wine Industry Development Council (RWIDC). Its mission is to provide the coherent leadership, resources and coordination necessary to drive a profitable, dynamic and sustainable Riverland wine industry, for the benefit of members and the community.