Seven things we learned from the National Geographic Traveller (UK) event on South Australian wines
On 1 June, during a National Geographic Traveller event sponsored by the South Australian Tourism Commission, wine expert Olly Smith was joined by journalist and author Nina Caplan, naturalist and broadcaster Nick Baker and chef and restauranteur Alexis Noble to talk about the state’s wines. In addition to the natural wine movement and eco-friendly wine companies, the discussion touched on topics as diverse as the nation鈥檚 flavour palate and hospitality culture. Here are seven of our favourite takeaways:
1 You can mix wine-tasting with wildlife-watching
Although popular for its wines, the Adelaide Hills is also an interesting region to visit from a naturalist鈥檚 perspective. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very positive landscape,鈥� Nick said, adding that winemakers look after their terroir and the environment around it. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all part of making good wine, and the wildlife knows it as well.鈥�
2 Heritage coexists with innovation
In the Eden Valley 鈥� around an hour鈥檚 drive north east of Adelaide 鈥� you鈥檒l find fifth- and sixth-generation wine growers who鈥檝e eked out a sense of place and figured out what works for them, working next door to brand-new companies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful diversity,鈥� said Nick. 鈥淚f you just want to explore the taste of the landscape, it鈥檚 all there for you.鈥�
3 Australia has a distinctive flavour palate
鈥淚n the past decade or so, a lot of Australian chefs from my generation have started to focus on native ingredients and indigenous, botanical flavours and incorporating that into our cookery, which is extremely exciting,鈥� said Alexis. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole new flavour profile that doesn鈥檛 exist in European cookery, and there鈥檚 so much cool stuff. South Australia, in particular, has been at the forefront of that.鈥�
4 There are many eco-friendly wine companies
The Hidden Sea, based between Melbourne and Adelaide in the Limestone Coast region, is a wine company that helps the environment: for every bottle of The Hidden Sea sold, it will recycle the equivalent of 10 plastic bottles from the ocean. 鈥淚t just means you can drink something that tastes very good and feel smug at the same time that you鈥檙e helping save the planet,鈥� joked Nina.
5 Experimenting with natural wines
The natural wine movement in South Australia generally represents a younger, more experimental kind of winemaking. 鈥淲hen it comes to natural wines, and the younger makers, they don鈥檛 have big parcels of land, they鈥檙e very small productions, and that鈥檚 why they do things differently,鈥� said Alexis. What鈥檚 more, she said, a lot of natural winemakers don鈥檛 own land to plant grapes, so they often buy grapes and mix them together to create something entirely new.
6 The vines are stressed 鈥� and that鈥檚 a good thing
鈥淓verything in Australia has to struggle,鈥� said Alexis. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have heaps of water, we鈥檝e got a lot of heat 鈥� things have to work hard to grow, so they have these amazing antioxidants and flavours that you don鈥檛 find anywhere else.鈥� This is true for vines, too: when you have such low-vigour places where other plants can鈥檛 really thrive, you get fantastic wines.
7 Hospitality is a calling for many people here
People dedicate their whole lives to hospitality in South Australia, and that鈥檚 something you can definitely feel while visiting. 鈥淚t blows me away that somewhere so far away can make me feel so at home, in the grand spaces, with the welcome of the people,鈥� said Olly. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what it always comes back to 鈥� the generosity of spirit, the open-handed welcome. I鈥檝e never felt like a stranger in South Australia.鈥�
Watch the full discussion on the National Geographic Traveller (UK) , or click to see a list of upcoming events.
If your destination or company is interested in partnering on a future online event, we鈥檇 love to discuss any ideas you might have, or help you come up with the best way we can work together.
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