Visitors to the King Valley will be waking up amongst the vines when Dal Zotto Wines opens its doors to new accommodation in early 2022.
Home of Prosecco in Australia, Dal Zotto Wines in Whitfield in the King Valley in Victoria’s High Country will give visitors more reasons to wine, dine, stay and explore the region by offering beautiful vine-side accommodation.
CEO and Winemaker Michael Dal Zotto and Marketing Manager Christian Dal Zotto together own and manage the winery that was established by their parents Otto and Elena Dal Zotto almost 35 years ago.
Michael said that the huge growth in visitation to the King Valley is fuelling demand for more accommodation.
“There’s a real buzz about the King Valley and Italian varieties associated with it that I’ve never seen before,” Michael said.
“We’re seeing a large number of people discovering the King Valley for the first time, which is exciting. But there’s a real shortage of places to stay.”
With a vision to help fill the gap, the winery recently received grant funding from the Victorian State Government to design and build accommodation for up to 18 guests.
Five upcycled converted shipping containers will provide self-contained accommodation nestled around the winery’s original 1904 homestead, overlooking the vines and Nonna Elena’s glorious garden.
Three bedrooms in the homestead will also be converted into self-contained rooms, giving groups and families the option to book the whole house.
Complete with delicious, rustic fare in the Trattoria, a sunset game of bocce and views of rolling vineyards, Dal Zotto Wines is serving up all the ingredients for guests to enjoy a true “la dolce vita” experience.
“We want it to be a place families and couples can enjoy, for it to feel luxurious and comfortable but also practical and, most of all, make them feel happy,” said Christian.
Dal Zotto Wines pioneered the sparkling Italian variety in Australia when the family planted the first Prosecco vines in 1999. The family-run business is now a cornerstone on the popular King Valley “Prosecco Road” — a name the Dal Zotto brothers coined some ten years ago to help promote the region and the wine variety.
“The region has changed so much in the past ten years and we’re really excited to be at the heart of it, sharing the King Valley with people for the first time and seeing the same faces come back time and again,” Michael said.
“Our new accommodation will add to the experience and encourage people to stay longer and explore more, which will benefit the whole region.”
Michael believes that the secret to the region’s growth in popularity goes beyond its reputation for award-winning Italian bubbles.
“There are people who come here from Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and beyond
to enjoy bushwalking, bike riding and fishing too. We’ve got lots here to appeal to a wide cross section of visitors and to keep drawing them back,” he said.
Now, after two years of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the team at Dal Zotto Wines are bracing themselves for an influx of visitors in 2022.
“It’s like the beginning of the tsunami. I think we’re going to see a lot of people in 2022, which excites me and scares the hell out of me!” Michael said.
