Con-Greg Grigoriou
REINVENTING THE RIVERLAND
Winemaker Con-Greg Grigoriou is shining a spotlight on an under-appreciated wine region with his boundary-pushing wines that don’t hold back on flavour.
As in most industries, it’s hard to be truly original in wine these days. But Con-Greg has set himself apart. A fourth-generation wine producer in South Australia’s vast Riverland wine region, Con-Greg is big on authenticity and sustainability. He crafts vibrant, unique wines from Mediterranean varieties that thrive in the region’s warm climate. Wines that showcase the Riverland in a whole new way. It’s a lesson in originality.
Forging an alternative future
Born and raised in the vineyards of the Riverland wine region, Con-Greg knew that although it was Australia’s biggest wine region, it didn’t have the prestige of places like the Barossa Valley. But he believed it had untapped potential. And he’s always been one to do things his way. So, in 2013, in his mid-20s, Con-Greg launched his own wine label, Delinquente – Italian for delinquent.
Through his boundary-pushing wines made from local, organic fruit, Con-Greg is imagining the region afresh. He’s proving that the Riverland isn’t just a producer of large volumes of grapes for popular and affordable wines – it’s also a sleeping giant where alternative varieties like Nero d’Avola and Negroamaro thrive in the warm sun and produce bright, lively, boisterous wines. Wines that upend expectations and change perceptions.
Winemaker Con-Greg Grigoriou is shining a spotlight on an under-appreciated wine region with his boundary-pushing wines that don’t hold back on flavour.
“Trying to provide a sense of place with wine from the Riverland hasn’t really been a part of the conversation, so that’s something I really like focusing on,” says Con-Greg. “That bright blue sky and the red dirt and long days, the bright sunshine, that’s what I'm trying to convey in the bottle and through the varieties that we work with. Southern Italian varieties that are big and juicy, bright and fresh, with heaps of flavour, I think convey that really well.”
When Con-Greg released his first wines in 2014, the likes of Vermentino and Montepulciano weren’t seen much in Australia. His labels, featuring illustrations of characters with face tattoos and names like ‘Screaming Betty’ and ‘Weeping Juan’, were a world away from more traditional wines.
“The whole idea was to do something that was entirely unique – small-batch, minimal-intervention wines made from alternative varieties growing in the Riverland,” says Con-Greg.
“I really enjoy getting out and educating people about the Riverland and showing them wines that they might not have thought could come from the region.” – Con-Greg Grigoriou
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