The images he brought back took my breath away.

Stunningly grand mountain ranges soared across the lands, and our boy climbed to the top of the sky.

What he did not do enough of, being more an advocate of soy lattes, was dive into the cool climate magic of the Grampians’ wines.

When I think of Grampians, I think of Best’s, Seppelt and Mount Langhi. And I’m in my happy place.

Serious history. Vines were first planted back in the 1860′s, and rumour has it there are grape varieties that have “defied all attempts at identification” in the words of the good people at Wine Australia, and may even be the last surviving examples of those grapes in the world.

I love a good mystery!

But let’s get our bearings. The Grampians lie a couple of hours west of Melbourne, bordered by the region of Henty to the west and the Pyrenees to the east.

Home to perhaps Australia’s most famous sparkles – Great Western, thanks to the arrival of a clever French couple in the 1850′s, who actually came over to mine gold, but (thankfully!) could not resist the urge to plant some vines. Welcome St Peters Vineyard.

This venture would eventually become Seppelt, and the rest is history.

Interesting fact – there are about a mile of underground drives that run through Seppelt’s Great Western, which were hand excavated by out-of-work miners after the gold rush dried up.

Another mystery?

But let’s get onto the wines. We’ve mentioned the famous sparkles, and I’ve tasted some pretty smart and lean Riesling as well, with juicy fresh lime characters.

But it’s the reds that rule the mountains in this premium cool climate region – reds capable of riding the balance of power and elegance perfectly.

Shiraz is King. Intense, compacted power and intensity in a silky smooth wrapper. Cherries, pepper and black spices. Medium weight, fine tannins, and impressive length.

Seppelt have also done impressive things with Sparkling Shiraz.

Sweet dark and red-berry Cabernet, tight and lean Chardonnay and Pinot are also making their marks, as are Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese and Dolcetto.

There aren’t hundreds of wineries or cellar doors in the region, indeed I think there are less than twenty, but there’s real quality there, and real history.

So grab your boots and start climbing.

Legendary grazing land (the townships of Merino and Macarthur back this fact up), the region was first settled by the Henty brothers (and why not name it after yourself?), who apparently did bring vines as well as sheep, as recorded in their ship’s log, from back in 1834, but it wasn’t until 1964 that someone had a serious crack at vino, when Karl Seppelt took a punt, quite rightly identifying  it as an ideal cool region for the production of sparkling and aromatic wines.

We’re talking Riesling – delicate, fine, lime-driven signatures of elegance.

Spicy, berry-driven Pinot Noir and soft, cool-climate Shiraz are also making a name for the region, along with some pretty smart Cabernet, with comparisons drawn to wines from the Haut Medoc in Bordeaux (that’s the good stuff).

And then you’ve got the three classic Sparkling grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with Seppelt having significant plantings for their not-so-shabby bubbles.

There are only a dozen or so wineries in the region, which is not a lot, given the region’s size, and half a dozen of those have cellar doors. Seppelt are obviously a very important part of it all, and you’ve got Barrets, Bochara, Crawford River Wines, Henty Estate, Hochkirk, Kelso, Mount Perrepoint Estate, Rowan’s Lane, St Gregory’s and Tarrington Vineyards.

There’s also a vibrant organic movement happening, with a few local vineyards certified biodynamic.

Part of Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road, Henty’s particular stretch of coastline is known as Shipwreck Coast, and it truly is a breathtaking part of the world.

Not to be confused with Swan Districts in WA.

Story goes that Major Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor-General of New South Wales, camping on the banks of the River Murray some time in 1836, was kept up all night by a noisy flock of black swans.

It’s hot, though slightly cooler than Murray Darling, relies on irrigation, and produces drink-now Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, for the most part.

The Chardy is soft, melony and peachy. The Shiraz and Cabernet are fruit-driven and medium in weight, and decent value for what you get.

We’re also seeing some Italian varietals like Sangiovese and Durif emerging in more recent times.

Bests Wines, Brown Brothers, Andrew Peace Wines and Buller Wines (since the 30′s) have a strong presence in the region, along with a handful of smaller producers.

Smack bang in the middle of the Murray Darling Food Basket, as they call it, it’s rich, fertile land, and wine grapes are not the only produce grown here in abundance.

Swan Hill has a vibrant food and produce culture, from freshwater fish to stone fruits of every kind (in fact its the centre of Australia’s fresh stone fruit industry), and it all comes alive in early march for the Swan Hill Region Food and Wine Festival.

ATTENTION ALL WINE ADVENTURERS!

Barossa Valley’s contribution to the Greatest A+ Australian Wine Prize Ever arrived over the Christmas period, and what a beautiful gift… I mean prize

Here’s what we’ve got -

• Marananga Girl Talk Savagnin 2001
• St Hallett Semillon 2005
• Bethany Semillon 2010
• Kaesler Old Vine Semillon 2010
• Smallfry Joven Tempranillo 2010
• Yelland & Pappas Grenache Shiraz 2010
• Wallace Shiraz Grenache 2009
• McGuigan GSM 2008
• Kalleske Clarry’s Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2010
• Turkey Plat Butchers Block Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2009
• Hewitson Miss Harry GSM 2009
• St Hallett Grenache Shiraz Touriga 2008
• Hentley Farm The Beauty Shiraz 2009
• Soul Growers Slow Grown Shiraz 2009
• Teusner Albert Shiraz 2009
• Zonte’s Footstep Baron Von Nemesis Shiraz 2009
• Murray Street The Barossa Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2009
• Rocland Estate Single Vineyard Lot 147 Shiraz 2008
• Kaesler Old Vine Shiraz 2009
• Dutschke St Jakobi Single Vineyard Shiraz 2009
• Farms Shiraz 2008
• Milhinch Wines Single Vineyard Shiraz 2009
• Gibson The Dirtman Shiraz 2009
• Chateau Tanunda The Chateau Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The Murray Darling is, in a word, vast. Not dissimilar to the Riverland in SA (indeed the two meet seemlessly with a little timber sign of the river, quaintly showing SA one way, and VIC the next), it’s traditionally produced a sh*t-load of Chardy, Shiraz and Cab Sav, a lot of which goes into bag-in-boxes and cheaper bottles of wine.

But in more recent times, we’re seeing the emergence of some more innovative wines, with an eye to a more sustainable future in the face of global warming.

And that’s the exciting stuff…

The less sexy fact of the matter is that it’s a big hot region with good soil. Wines have been planted in the Murray Darling since the late 19th century, and it produces a whopping quarter of the whole country’s wines.

Chardonnay is king – in fact more Chardonnay is produced here than anywhere else in the country – but it’s ripe, fruity Chardonnay. Okay if you’re after an $6 drink, not so thrilling if you’re after something a bit more interesting.

Shiraz and Cabernet are along the same lines – soft, ripe, sweet fruit, Australia’s “sunshine in a bottle” wines.

I don’t mean to sound like a wine snob – this is a critically important region to the whole country. You’ve got Treasury (Fosters), Accolade (Constellation), Orlando (Jacob’s Creek), Casella (Yellowtail) and other giants with hectares and hectares of fruit planted, producing a fair whack of the country’s wines here.

And then you’ve got your slightly less massive producers like Zilzie and Deakin Estate, producing impressive volume as well.

But looking to the future, and the more premium wines, you start looking at Viognier, Petit Verdot and Nebbiolo, all showing quite smartly, and actually far better suited to the climate.

That’s the commercial wine side of the region, but what I’ve ignored so far is the river.

Timeless, meandering, ebbing and flowing – the Murray-Darling is not only the lifeblood of the region, but its the stuff of legend. So many great stories

The town of Mildura is a beautiful spot, and you’ve got to pop in to Stefano’s, the restaurant/cafe run by local foodie legend Stefano de Pieri. He and a handful of other passionate locals are showing off not just what the region produces, but what can be done with it in the right hands.

The famous pink river salt from the region sits proudly in my kitchen, and reminds me of some unforgettable nights in Mildura – well, reminds me of the bits I can still remember, anyway!

So leave the imported Maldon on the shelf, grab yourself some of the Murray’s finest, and picture yourself floating down Australia’s great river on a houseboat, fishing, swimming, eating, drinking…

Life’s okay.

But three hours northwest and a breakdown near Banrock Station changed all that.

It’s true, there are vast tracts of irrigated vines.

It’s true, there are the big white tank farms of Berry and Kingston.

It’s true, there’s a lot of wine bulk wine produced.

But what I had no idea of, was how stunningly beautiful this region was, how the twisting, turning Murray that runs through it is more than just a river – it is the vein that pumps the lifeblood of this place through the land and the people.

The river.

You have to go there to appreciate what it means. When the river is low, the mood is one of struggle, of battling. When the river is high, the mood is high.

We spent some time of a huge, luxurious houseboat, enjoying 5-star dining as the sun set, and we spent time in a dinghy catching yabbies and drinking hand-crafted beers.

The two experiences, for me, sum up the region in terms of wine.

There’s Banrock Station (the Wetlands are quite simply stunning when the river is generous), Angove, Kingston, Selena Estate and Thachi Wines – the big houseboats.

There’s more Chardonnay planted in Riverland than the combined total of anywhere else in South Australia. It’s rich and ripe.

There’s a fair bit of Shiraz planted too. Copes well with the heat, and you get real plum and dark fruit flavours, while Cabernet and Merlot gets rich raspberry flavours, and hopefully some chocolate and mint in cooler years.

But then there are the yabby-tinnies, too, making wines that speak of the region’s potential in alternate varieties, like 919 Wines, Burk Salter, Mallee Estate, Omersown and O’Donohue’s (a madder chap I’ve never met in the wine industry, I swear, but he can make wine, and he can make chocolate!).

Max Allen, in his wonderful book “The Future Makers” talks about the Riverland as being the region that can really change the direction of Australian wine for a more sustainable future.

It’s great that regions are getting biodynamic, and planing varieties that need less irrigation.

But when the Riverland starts doing this kind of thing, you get wholesale change, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Have a look at some of the Vermentino’s coming out of the region, get out onto the river in a tinnie, scout around for some yabby pots (find a local – I did NOT tell you to poach!) and experience the Real Riverland.

It’s a beautiful place.

Most visitors would think rugged treks through the Mount Remarkable National Park, or adventures in the intriguingly-named Alligator Gorge.

You might pop in for a visit to historic Melrose, or perhaps Laura or Wirrabara, or you might go fish and chips on the wharf at Port Pirie.

A Bourke & Wills-style drive from Adelaide to Alice Springs or Darwin will take you along the highway through the Flinders Ranges.

There’s a line running through the region called “Goyder’s Line of Rainfall”, which marks what they call the “northern most limits of feasible agriculture”. In other words, it’s all desert north of the Flinders.

It’s pretty darn warm and it’s pretty darn dry. Yet despite these conditions, or perhaps because of them, the Southern Flinders Ranges has put itself on the map as one of the more fascinating wine region of Australia.

It extends north-west from the Clare Valley, and basically runs to the “northern most extremities”, as Goyder says.

Predominantly a red region, you’ve got Barossa legends like Charlie Melton Peter Lehmann and Yalumba with plantings here, used for blending and I believe the odd Southern Flinders Ranges wine, as well as giants Accolade and Treasure.

It’s mostly Shiraz, full of ballsy red colour and rich berry and licorice flavours, not dissimilar to Clare Valley Shiraz.

But there are also a few home-grown brands, like Bundaleer, Mopeta, Belalie, Bartagunya, Stone Hut and Remarkable View Wines – many of which have cellar doors.

There’s a strong artisan food movement, with awesome farmer’s markets and cafe’s.

Frontier stuff, with a food and wine culture, and adventure on your doorstep? I’m there.

If you’re looking for some of the finest Riesling in the world, look no further than the Clare Valley.

If you’re looking for mist-shrouded, rolling green hills rising from tracts of wild Australian bushland, meandering rivers and creeks, charming townships with old stone mansions steeped in history…

Look no further than the Clare Valley.

Two hours from Adelaide , Clare Valley is as stunning as it gets. Charming cottages and cellar doors aplenty, the region was first settled back to the 1830′s by local pioneer John Horrocks, but the more famous ancestors are the Jesuit Brothersof the St Aloysius Church, who still operate Sevehill Cellars, fleeing persecution from what is now Poland.

There are five subregions, and the names will no doubt be very familiar – Sevenhill, Watervale, Polish Hill River, Auburn and the township of Clare itself.

There’s a stunning 1879 Georgian mansion called Martindale Hall which was featured in Peter Weir’s Picnic At Hanging Rock. Walking up the stately drive is stepping back in time.

For wine, it’s quite a unique region in that it actually gets bloody hot on the plains, so you shouldn’t really end up producing good Riesling, but the hills are such cool micro-climates unto themselves.

So you end up with world-class Riesling – explosions of juicy citrus, cool minerality, and racy natural acidity. Indeed my favourite Rieslings in the world come from the Clare.

But you can also get amazingly rich and powerful Shiraz, trademarked by unmistakable milk chocolate and cherry flavours, and Cabernet (my favourite Clare reds) with again that rich, dark fruit and chocolate.

Talk producers, and you’ve got the famous and long-established Jim Barry, Taylor’s, Pikes, Annie’s Lane.

You’ve got the legendary Wendouree, Grosset (finest Rieslings in the world?), Kilikanoon, Skillogalee (a must-visit lunch destination), the new Clos Clare (another absolutely stunning old mansion on the hill with views to die for), and so many more brands and cellar doors, you could spend weeks in wine heaven.

There’s a bicycle Riesling trail that would no doubt be fun, but beware the perils of drink riding

The people behind the region have always been so welcoming, so hospitable, that I suspect there’s something in the air in this stunning region, something that has carried through for 170 years, from the land, to the buildings, the people, the wines…

Something altogether wonderful that keeps me coming back.

And yet, for all its proximity, it is one of the driest and most arid wine regions in the country.

Having said that, it’s actually abundant in good rich soils, and not only home to vast crops of potatoes, tomatoes and all sorts of market veggies, but it’s been growing some pretty darn special fruit for decades – since the 50′s, in fact, when Italian migrants worked their magic (we have so much to thank you for!!).

The Trombetta family started it all, I believe, and something I only learned as I was writing this is that the original Penfold’s Grange Hermitage fruit from the 50′s vintages was grown in the Adelaide Plains.

A lot of the fruit was, and still is, sent to producers in the Barossa and McLaren Vale, but in the 70′s we started to see Adelaide Plains brands pop up, pioneered by such names as Joe Grilli with his famous Primo Estate (La Biondina Colombard – awesome), Dominic Versace (a legendary pizza chef as well as winemaker!), Joe Ceravolo – these are the families who have built this wine region. Hazyblur is a particularly good producer.

There are 100 year-old vines in the region, but they only scored their official GI status in 2002. Tough crowd, the GI police.

So what works best in the Adelaide Plains?

Clearly Colombard, at least in Joe Grilli’s expert hands, and there’s the obligatory Chardonnay, Shiraz (surprisingly spicy, with plum and mulberry fruits), Cabernet, Merlot, etc. etc.

Of more interest (to me at least!) are the Italian varieties – Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Moscato and others – with the pioneers of the region sharing their heritage through their wines.

As it should be.

An island paradise whose beauty can barely be described in words. Penguins and sea lions basking on stunning white beaches, koalas dozing in lofty eucalypts, pelicans soaring over shimmering lagoons…

Seriously. Kangaroo Island (or KI) is, as they say on the brochure, a pristine wilderness – a haven for rare and endangered wildlife and exotic produce (shouldn’t have said those two in the same sentence, perhaps!)

King George Whiting, oysters, prawns, king crabs, marron by the pot-ful, beautiful locally-produced cheeses, and of course some pretty exciting and innovative wines…

On the north-eastern shores, protected from the wild southerlies, you’ll find pockets of vineyards, capable of producing quality wines of elegance and balance.

Dudley Partners and Sunset Winery both have cellar doors, and The Islander Estate, Two Wheeler Creek, and Settler’s Plateau will open by appointment – you may not have heard of them, but they’ve set up shop in paradise.

Some bigger producers have also planted vineyards on the island, or are sourcing fruit for Chardonnay, Riesling, Sav Blanc, some very smart Cabernet, Pinot and Shiraz.

And if you’re up for a bit of medieval revelry, get over here for the Bacchus-inspired flowering of the vines celebration of Florasion, on the last Saturday of November, where you can dress up as pagan gods and dance and feast the night away.

Just don’t step on the penguins.