Con-Greg Grigoriou ticks all the boxes of the stereotypical, Aussie country boy - sporting a gregarious grin, never in pants that extend below the knee, and with a handshake firm enough to crush rocks to dust. Born and raised in a grape growing and winemaking family, it was inevitable that he would end up in the same business.
Except that just working in the wine biz wasn’t enough - Greg was determined to do something different.
Delinquente is a label that from the beginning has centred its identity around fruit from Greg’s home, the Riverland - the massive, wine-producing region that snakes its way through the heart of south-eastern Australia. However, most of the grapes in this region never end up in bottles labelled “Riverland”, rather, they are typically blended away into “South-Eastern Australia” wines - the huge zone that is generally used for bulk production wines. The vast majority of these are made from “international” varieties - Shiraz, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Muscat etc., and the growing practices often prioritise volume over quality.
“I saw something in the way that people’s tastes - my tastes were evolving. The idea was to create wines that I like drinking from the place that I grew up.” says Greg. Founded in 2013, Delinquente has been committed to working with organically-grown, Italian varietals - such as Nero d’Avola or Vermentino. These grapes are suited to hot, dry climates and use significantly less water than their more mainstream counterparts - a significant boon for the Riverland, where water security is a huge issue.
The result? The quality of fruit is vastly improved, as these varieties thrive in a climate which many others struggle. This healthy fruit produces lip-smacking, effortlessly drinkable wines. Keeping everything in a bright, fresh style, Delinquente presents curious, exciting drinking, at exceptional value.
Not satisfied with simply making interesting wine, he wanted it to LOOK interesting. Enter Jay Koen - "full-time miscreant and part-time artist" who has created the characters that adorn the bottles. The faces of Delinquente reaffirm the statement of the wine itself - in Jay's words, they "represent the spirit of the delinquent, the story of the rebel"
Keen to try? Shop our Delinquente range here
Words by Brett Goss