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Returned servicemen from the Great War could look forward to government grants of pastoral freehold. West Australia's Willyabrup Valley was such a place, just a short walk from the balmy beaches of Indian Ocean, it offered the veterans excellent potential for agriculture. The fertile lands of Sussex Vale were originally established to animal husbandry by the discharged troopers, generations of livestock enriched the soils and it was astutely sown to vines in 1973. Fortuitously placed at the very heart of the Australian west's most illustrious estates, it continued to occupy the thoughts of neighbouring Howard Park's chief winemaker, until he acquired the property and relaunched a softly spoken range of the most exquisite wines. Aspirants of the blue blooded styles from Margaret River.. A better block on hay shed hill»
Hoddles Creek was planned and developed from day one, with a view to crafting an artful range of superlative Yarra Valley wines. The most arduous aspects were planted, because they offered the best promise of outstanding quality fruit. Chilly mornings, vivid afternoon sun and extended ripening, profound vintages of intensely ripened berries. From four superior rows of Pinot Noir on the Hoddles Creek property at Gembrook. Rows 22 to 26 always yield something spectacular with each new vintage, the mix of Burgundian and new world clones are hand picked and separately vinified for release as an exquisite limited edition, only made in the finest vintage years... For partisans most particular about pinot»
Chrismont
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Chrismont
Chrismont's location at the base of the Victorian Alps is undoubtedly the most defining feature of the King Valley

Chrismont Wines incorporates the winery and cellar door operations, in addition to the estate vineyards, owned by Arnie & Jo Pizzini. The beautiful, undulating property in the heart of the agriculturally rich and diverse King Valley initially was dedicated to tobacco production in the 1960s. Chrismont founder Arnie Pizzini, along with his father Arnold, transitioned the property focus to wine grape production in the late seventies. Over the twenty years since then, the King Valley and Chrismont vineyards have become synonymous with the production of high quality wine grapes for red, white, and sparkling wine.

Chrismont

Arnold Pizzini grew up on a farm that had grape vines and a small orchard. He set sail for Australia in 1952 and landed in the North East Victoria town of Myrtleford, helping a migrant Italian family on their tobacco farm. It didn’t take long before a number of Arnold's brothers settled in Australia, too. The four decided to join forces to start a tobacco growing business. From a small share-farming plantation, Pizzini Brothers Pty Ltd grew into the largest tobacco growing enterprise in the Southern Hemisphere.

When the Australian Government introduced a quota system to the tobacco industry severely constraining tobacco production, Pizzini Brothers Pty Ltd was rendered bankrupt overnight. The end of the tobacco era saw the four Pizzini families divide their holdings.

Each brother possessed skills in vineyard management and winemaking, gained on their vineyard in Trentino. Following discussions with John and Peter Brown in 1979, Arnold and Arnie Pizzini received a ten-year contract to supply grapes to Brown Brothers of Milawa, thus embarking on the next Pizzini era.

Chrismont

The first block of Chrismont's vineyards was planted in 1980 by Arnie Pizzini and his father, Arnold. The vineyards now span 250 acres. Undoubtedly, the major force behind the quality of Chrismont Wines is the soil on which the property sits, and the fact Chrismont lies in the heart of the spectacular King Valley. With a similar climate and landscape to Piemonte and Tuscany in Italy and Alsace in France, long summer days enable the grapes to achieve genuine flavour ripeness which gives lovely fruit richness to the wines, while cool nights allow elegant cool climate characters to emerge.

Enjoying the characterisation as a cool climate grape growing district, situated on the northern side of the Great Dividing Range, the King Valley has longer and warmer ripening periods during autumn than most other winegrowing regions of a similar aspect. The King Valley is distinctly similar to regions such as Tuscany and Piemonte in Italy and Alsace in France. This is the basis behind the ability of grape growers and winemakers to achieve exceptional results with Italian grape varieties.

There is nothing pretentious or corporate about the King Valley. On your visit to King Valley cellar doors, often you will meet the families running the wineries. The annual La Dolce Vita festival in November brings out the best in home-made Italian cooking and hospitality. Local wineries join together to put on a fantastic selection of events.

In addition to the exceptional catalogue of Chrismont wines, the La Zona range is a tempting and exciting complement to the Chrismont label. Celebrating a rich history of Italian heritage, La Zona showcases Chrismont’s Italian varietal wines.

Chrismont