High-altitude innovation
Many Italian immigrants came to Melbourne after fleeing the instability of post-World War II Europe, and some found work growing tobacco in the King Valley’s fertile soils. Life was good. But when demand for tobacco started dropping in the 1970s, local farmers had to diversify. Encouraged by the success of King Valley winery Brown Brothers, branching out into growing grapes was an obvious solution.
An 18-year-old John Francis Brown had planted Brown Brothers’ first vines in 1885, and six years later, a government viticulturist reported on “the excellent quality of Mr Brown’s Riesling and Hermitage (Shiraz)”. Over the years the wine operation grew, and found a new market among the growing Italian community. These local Italian farmers began planting their own vines, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz, and the high quality of the fruit gave them courage to try making their own wines.
But these Italian vingerons longed for the wines of their home, and the King Valley’s high altitude and varied terrain reminded them of Italy’s wine regions. So in the 1980s and 90s, they started experimenting with Italian varieties, including Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo. New wineries sprouted, adding diversity to the growing wine scene.
The sparkling road
One of Australia’s highest-altitude wine-growing areas, the King Valley is fertile country capable of growing a wide variety of vines and producing top-quality grapes. Visit this scenic region and you’ll discover one of the greatest concentrations of varieties of any Australian wine region. Where these vines grow is heavily influenced by altitude – the southern end of the valley is higher and has a cooler climate, so only early-ripening varieties grow there, such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. As you travel north, down the valley, the climate grows warmer and a full range of red and white grapes are grown.
Inspired by his childhood in the northern Italian town of Valdobbiadene, the birthplace of Prosecco, Otto Dal Zotto planted the King Valley’s first Prosecco vines in the late 1990s. He released the first bottles in 2004, and its crisp freshness was instantly popular – so much so that the Dal Zotto family had to restrict sales to three bottles per person. Several other King Valley wineries leapt at this sparkling opportunity, including Pizzini Wines, Sam Miranda Wines, Chrismont and Brown Brothers – by then one of the largest family-owned wine producers in Australia.
In 2009, these five winemaking families joined forces to create the King Valley Prosecco Road – a food and wine trail designed to bring more people to the region and celebrate Prosecco. It’s proven popular with visitors and wine lovers who are embracing Prosecco as an everyday drinking wine as well as a celebratory drop. With its strong sense of community, ever-growing list of interesting wines and colourful food culture, the hills are very much alive in this vibrant region.
