#durifday
Saturday 10 June 2023
Save the date for #DurifDay in 2023. We have claimed the 10th of June each year as our day to celebrate our favourite red wine variety, Durif.
Durif - the best unknown red wine in Australia*
*well, so we think anyway!
History
Discovered in the 1860s in eastern France in the experimental vineyard of Francois Durif who was a botanist. He kept a nursery at his home which contained several grape varieties. It is believed that here Peloursin and Syrah cross-pollinated creating Durif, also known as Petite Sirah.
Australia alongside California, are now the two leading producers of Durif in the world with hardly any Durif left in Europe where it originally derived from.
Statistics
From the Wine Australia Vintage Report
Durif intake increased by 9 per cent
Durif is the 6th largest red wine variety grown/crushed in Australia.
The estimated crush of Durif has more than doubled in five years, from just under 6000 tonnes in 2015 to nearly 13,000 tonnes in 2020.
Three-quarters of the Durif is grown in Riverina.
Australian exports of Durif increased by 6 per cent in the 2019 calendar year.
Exports of this variety to the USA accounted for 34 per cent of all Durif exports and grew by 22 per cent.
Riverina Durif
In the Riverina, many of our regional wineries have a Durif in their range. Proudly producing a regional style that is bold yet smooth on the finish making it food friendly.
Bill Calabria was the first to champion and premiumise Durif in the Riverina, leading the way for our other producers to develop this red wine into our must-try, regional hero wine.
