When explorer John Oxley discovered the Riverina Region of New South Wales in 1817, he described it as “a country, which for bareness and desolation has no equal”. One hundred years later, extensive use of the Murrumbidgee River for irrigation fell into common use and the succeeding years have turned Riverina into the largest grape growing region in all of Australia. Although the area is unrelentingly hot and dry, the boutique producers such as Robert Fiumara at Lillypilly have turned this liability into an asset. These conditions provide perfect growing conditions for grapes such as Semillon, Riesling and Gewürztraminer and the river provides the proper moisture level that enables botrytis (noble rot) to form on the grapes. The resulting sweet nectar is one of the world’s great flavor sensations.