Aussie wine region flaunts Italian style

A WINE region more than 15,000 kilometres from Tuscany is emerging as a primo producer of Italian varieties and styles. Many of the more than 100 wineries in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia are making Italian style wines with some of them receiving recognition on the world stage. In a competition first at the prestigious International Wine Challenge this month, wineries Bird in Hand and Mr. Riggs were both awarded Gold medals for Adelaide Hills wines made from Montepulciano grapes. It was the first time a non-Italian Montepulciano has won Gold.