00:02A scene straight out of the Mediterranean.
00:05But it's South Australia's Riverland, home to a new crop that hasn't been watered for two months.
00:11So we've reduced the consumption so much, looking at maybe 75% less water than say with the Shirazes or
00:18the Chardonnays.
00:19Let's test the sugar.
00:20Yanni Katootsis is trialling Zinisteri, an ancient Cypriot grape variety known for its drought tolerance.
00:26When we started the research we were looking at what they call homoclimes, so trying to match the climates.
00:31And the one climate that matched pretty closely to Cyprus was Riverland.
00:35A region that's traditionally grown cooler climate varieties that are in oversupply.
00:40It's a reality the Riverland knows all too well.
00:44We dropped the Shirazes to the ground and mulched it up, basically because there's no price for that variety.
00:50And to watch my mum cry and my parents cry was absolutely heartbreaking.
00:55And, and, and, oh, sorry.
00:59It's okay.
01:01It's heartbreaking to see farmers struggling.
01:05Zinisteri is showing great promise for growers in the Riverland who are desperate to find a way forward and a
01:11future for farming on their blocks.
01:13The variety has also been introduced to the premium wine region, the Barossa Valley.
01:18And Barossa producers are now bottling and selling the product for the first time in Australia.
01:23People are drinking a lot more white wine, so we needed to introduce a white variety that actually suits the
01:29Barossa Valley.
01:29And that's where Zinisteri, I think, has become one of those, those winners for us.
01:34A variety connecting climate and culture.
01:38It's just something very special.
01:39And, you know, I can see my dad who passed away in 2015 probably from above smiling, going,
01:44jeez, I wish he did that when I was still here.
01:45For me it's important to keep this Hellenic culture strong, not just in the Riverland, but in Australia as a
01:53whole.
01:54Hope at the bottom of the bottle for a changing industry and climate.
01:59Hope they enjoy us.
02:01Hope, hope, and hope for us.
02:04Hope, if we send coaches back to us a group of agencies in Australia.
02:05newspaper.
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