When visiting Melbourne, my husband and I took a leisurely wine tour through the picturesque Yarra valley ( in a wine tour van!) which brought us to De Bortoli Wines. The region has a cool climate, relative to the rest of Australia [it is marginally warmer than Burgundy but cooler than Bordeaux] and its well structured soils are ideal for viticulture. The De Bortoli Estate is one of the largest in the Yarra Valley with more than 240 hectares under vine. The surrounds maintain picture-perfect shades of green, and the blue sky and Yarra Ranges National Park in the background completed the indulgent setting.
De Bortoli’s winemaker Steve Webber was Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine’s Winemaker of the Year 2007, and his team craft the Yarra Valley Reserve Release, Estate Grown and Gulf Station wines from classic varieties notably my favourite- Chardonnay, plus Sauvignon, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.
If you want a winery that is a bit different, De Bortoli is not to be missed! There is an interesting section in the entrance of how the winery started which, for those of you like me who like a fun story, makes it come alive as it has been in the De Bortoli family since the start. Here’s a tidbit: “Vittorio De Bortoli left Italy in 1924, escaping the ravages of World War l, seeking a new life in Australia. However, even in his wildest dreams, the 24 year old could never have imagined that he would become the founder of an Australian wine making dynasty.”
We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon enjoying the warm hospitality of this family owned winery where we spent some time tasting a wide variety of cool climate wines at the cellar door. The MUST MUST is the fantastic cheese platter that was served with excellent choices, perfectly matured and matching to the wines of the vineyard. All the Estates wines were fantastic. I highly recommend the Estates Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling–all terrific values for the quality.
The team at the Cellar Door could not have been more helpful, friendly and so very easy to talk to – a real asset to this business! The wines also were great – a very good range. We were very happy with Noble One, a lovely dessert wine! First created by Darren De Bortoli in 1982, Noble One has gone on to be one of the most awarded wines in history, garnering more than 130 trophies and 406 Gold medals both nationally and internationally. 2012 marked 30 years since Darren first introduced Noble One to the world. Incredibly it has maintained its position as Australia’s benchmark dessert wine ever since.
Check out this amazing Noble One review!
‘Probably Australia’s most famous dessert-style wine that was first made by Darren De Bortoli in 1982. It has been subtly refined over the years and is justifiably regarded as one of our great wines. It’s obviously sweet and yet the balance of oak and acid holds it with restraint and control so that it carries to a very long finish. Great wine.’ – 96/100.
– West Australian, Perth, 14 Mar 2013.
De Bartoli is renowned for its wines- we had high expectations and were not left disappointed! Our wine tasting saw us tasting some very nice wines and sampling some tasty cheeses as well.
The Cellar Door staff were excellent and very knowledgable which made it all the more pleasurable to be there, so much so that we wanted to ditch our wine tour and spend the rest of our day at De Bortoli! The wine tasting counter is enormous, so you don’t wait long or at all. There is also a covered BBQ area and a swing. We can’t wait to go back and have a meal in the restaurant. I might even check out this gorgeous room for a private tasting!
De Bortoli Wines has made a serious commitment to the environment, going well beyond mandatory requirements by adopting a wide range of innovative programs and practices. These encompass water management, biological farming, including the use of compost tea and compost and mulch as well as packaging & waste management. The winery’s ultimate goal is to be ‘The Zero Waste Wine Company’.
De Bortoli was the Best place we encountered on our wine-hunting spree:
– some of the best wines in the region
– excellent staff
– nice atmosphere
– lovely location and surroundings-delicious cheese
-Charming, NO big tour buses, just little tour vans (thank you, De Bortoli!)
A Great winery, delicious wines and an AMAZING cheese selection. We just can’t want to go back!
Do not miss De Bortoli Winery on your Yarra Valley Itinerary!
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