How King Valley became Australia's home of Italian wine varieties

Australia Broadcast Center

25-05-2025

A roll call of Tuscan grape varieties are finding new expression half a world away from their Italian birthplace.
As are many of the pioneers who brought varieties including prosecco, pinot grigio, nebbiolo, sangiovese, fiano and dolcetto to Victoria's King Valley, one of Australia's most exciting, emerging wine regions.
"A lot of northern Italian grape varieties have been a real shining light in the Australian wine industry," said Fred Pizzini, whose family has played a trailblazing role in the region's development.
Many Australian wineries have been doing it tough.
There has been a glut of traditional French grape varieties such as shiraz and chardonnay.
Not so in the King Valley, where family-owned vineyards and their distinctive Italian grape varieties and wines have been growing in popularity.
The valley's high altitude, mountain soil and climate are conducive to producing quality wines.
Fred Pizzini's son, Joel, who is the company's principal winemaker, said it made for earthy, savoury, more interesting versions of styles.
The Pizzini family is one of about a dozen winemaking families of Italian descent in the valley, all of them migrant success stories.
Fred's father, Arnie, and his three brothers settled in the valley in the 1950s.
"When we first bought the farm up here, the first thing he did was plant a vineyard of 1 acre," Fred said.
"And then he built his house."
The Politini family from Sicily and the Corsini family from Tuscany also arrived in the 1950s and planted vineyards to make wine for their own use.
Their main crop was tobacco, which flourished on the rich river flats.
When the industry rapidly declined in the late 1970s, the valley's farmers shifted to grape growing.
Most took a 10-year contract with prominent wine maker Brown Brothers, but many had already seen the potential of growing Italian grape varieties.
For the Corsinis, whose cellar door is a majestic stone villa, a family wedding in 1992 launched them into commercial winemaking.
Peter's father Gino followed a centuries-old family winemaking method that used no preservatives.
Their vegan-friendly, non-allergenic wine is made from a range of Italian grape varieties including fiano, sangiovese and dolcetto.
Joel Pizzini said visitors to their part of north-east Victoria, especially Italians, were impressed by the valley's strong Italian culture.
"It's beautiful tasting lots of different [Italian] varieties, not just different versions of shiraz and cabernet."
Sam Politini, 90, is among only a few surviving migrant winemaker pioneers.
He witnessed fierce fighting between the Germans and Allied Forces in 1943.
In 1956, aged 21, he followed his brother to Australia for a better life.
On most days, his fine Italian accordion tunes resonate across the family's picturesque vineyard, where his grandson Jacques Simian is the third generation to take up winemaking.
Mr Politini said he was delighted to see the emergence of King Valley wines.
"It's really good to work with something that shows your heritage, something that shows where you're from and you can promote it and give it to others," Jacques Simian said.
Reuben Corsini and his cousin Leticia are also third-generation farmers.
Their career choice has helped revitalise the Valley and cater to a growing tourist trade.
"It's an absolute honour to be able to carry that [tradition] on," Linda Newton (nee Corsini) said.
"Our parents loved it; were passionate about it, and every day you walk into cellar door you've got that connection with them.
The taste of Italy extends beyond wine.
Wineries such as the Pizzini's hold cooking classes and festivals that celebrate wine, cuisine and culture.
Italian grape varieties dominate the landscape, including the Pizzini family's vineyards that line the valley's slopes.
Some date back to Roman times, and most can endure tough climatic conditions better than traditional French varieties.
"As we get more high-intensity heatwaves, high-intensity storm and rainfall events, they're becoming really beneficial for a viticulture adaptation perspective," Fred Pizzini said.
"There's lots of benefits other than just the commercial side of making delicious wines.
"King Valley is an international name today, which is pretty special."
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