Dal Zotto Wines
KING VALLEY, VICTORIA
WHEN JAMES Halliday called owner-wine-maker Michael Dal Zotto to break the news of the King Valley winery’s Dark Horse win, he thought it was a joke. I was like, “Yeah, sure this is James Halliday, of course,” he says laughing. “We were so surprised,” co-owner Christian Dal Zotto adds. “We still light up like school kids when we hear it.” A prank like that wouldn’t be uncommon in the Dal Zotto family, according to Michael, and it’s clear the brothers enjoy joking around. Where they get serious, however, is when talking about prosecco, the wine at the core of their business. “Right from the start, we believed prosecco would succeed. We now can’t keep up with the demand,” Michael says.
Planting the first prosecco vineyard in Australia in 1999 and releasing the first locally made style in 2004 were pivotal moments for Dal Zotto. “And of course, having that link to our heritage, with Dad being from Valdobbiadene [a premier prosecco region in Italy], made sense,” Christian says. The family connection is a big part of the story and one that has informed the brothers every step of the way. Michael even went to his father’s village to develop his understanding of the variety, completing a fellowship to study under some of the best wineries in Valdobbiadene. Twenty years on, and the Dal Zotto name, the King Valley region and this wine style are inseparable. “For us, it’s paramount that it’s King Valley fruit. This region has cool nights and warm days that allow us to get beautiful aromatics and acid retention,” Michael says. For that reason, the Dal Zottos spread the word about prosecco to anyone who’ll listen. “It’s about getting people as excited as we are and getting grapegrowers to plant the vines so we have an ongoing supply.” Dal Zotto makes the traditional, easydrinking prosecco style, but also several others, including a bottle-fermented type with a creamy texture and savoury flavours, a vintage version that’s delicate and floral, and the Col Fondo, which is bone dry, with a gingery characteristic. New to the line-up is Tabelo, which is set to be the magnum opus of the range. “That’s a wine that’s close to our hearts,” Christian says. “It’s named after our father’s father, Giovanni, who passed away in 1971. Tabelo was a nickname given to Giovanni by his friends, as he had a taxi business and would drive around Valdobbiadene gifting his loyal customers prosecco and panettone each Christmas.” Michael explains that the Tabelo includes concentrated juice from dried and pressed prosecco grapes, which adds another level of complexity. “It makes for a style that people wouldn’t expect,” he says.