Ten Day Break Day 4

The skies are clear blue this morning with not a cloud in sight from horizon to horizon. A slight cooling breeze from the south south east is keeping the temperature down to a modest 19c (68f) but one can feel the suns sting when the breeze falters promising another warm to hot day here in the King Valley (28c-86f ). The grape harvest is in full swing here with the berries ripening quickly as a result of the long hot dry summer. Mechanically harvested at night when the temperature is lower. We could hear the sounds of the picking machines as we fell into our slumber as they in turn trundled up and down the trellised rows of vines. This then accounts for the lack of local people during the daytime hours in this sleepy little town. While they catchup on sleep we enjoy their country.

Our reason for visiting Whitfield and ultimately the Pizzini winery stems from our enjoyment of their wine over many years. Living in a wine producing state as we do the local industry dominates the market. Adding to that Pizzini is located in this tiny out of the way location in central Victoria. We first came across this wine brand in an Italian restaurant in Melbourne in 2009 when there to see the “The Jersey Boys” (a musical play about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, that incidentally took me back to my first record ever purchased when only 13, “Sherry”) from our first taste of their clean crisp tangy Pinot Grigio we became hooked. In 2009 this variety had yet to be popular but we had known about the variety from our visits to the US where it had gained wide acceptance. We went onto order the wine by mail from the cellar door. Since those days the winery has developed many more Italian varieties. Previously only imported Italian wines would seen in Adelaide’s Italian restaurants as they so perfectly matched Italian cuisine. In Australia we often talk about the Mediterranean diet with Italian wine playing a part. Saving the best for last this is our first stop for the day.

We are greeted by a young Italian gentleman who runs us through the long list of wine for tasting. He knows his wine and with his Italian knowledge is very informative, we settle on just a few wines to try staying away from old favourites to enable us to try a few new tastes. Like most enjoyable things in life too much is usually not good for you. During our tasting we are joined by the obligatory winery pup, in this case a thirteen year old Labrador named Norbert with a greying muzzle that waddles in to greet us with a wagging tail. Tasting over we make our purchases and waddle off our selves to our country cottage.

Lunch is at the Dal Zotto winery trattoria just a 30 metre walk from the cottage. The entire complex is situated in a park like setting, consisting of magnificent old gum trees, deciduous ornamentals, fruit trees, a kitchen garden as well as the trellised vines and distant views to the mountains. All very idyllic. As expected the meals have a distinctive Italian flavour, we both settle on hand made gnocchi, Amanda’s in a lamb ragout and my gnocchi made from pumpkin in a slightly spicy pumpkin purée. I finished off with a tiramisu, served like a piece of lasagne with coffee cream between layers of soft sponge accompanied by a coffee meringue. Simply superb. Amanda not a desert person, sweet enough she says gives dessert a miss.

Otto Dal Zotto the founder grew up in Valdobbiadene, north eastern Italy. But moved to Australia and took up to tobacco farming. When the tobacco industry started to go into decline he switched to the only other agricultural pursuit he new, grape growing, familiar with Prosecco from childhood, first tasting the wine at age 4, he imported vine cuttings and began the first commercial plantings of the grape variety in Australia. He had met and married Elena Pizzini and so two great to be Italian wine producing families began a new industry in the King Valley.

As the day draws to an end we sit enjoying the shade under a Ginkgo tree, crickets chirp in the background as fairy wrens hop to and fro. A flock of white cockatoo’s have awakened from their midday siesta to nosily wheel around the clear blue sky, stretching their wings one last time before they must settle for the coming nightfall. This mornings breezes have returned to cool the heat of the day. These identical three days will go on indelibly etched into our memories. Tomorrow we travel to Woodend southeast of our current location where we will catch up with an old friend I have known since I was nineteen.