The Yalumba philosophy quietly encourages innovation, experimentation and a visionary outlook in the quest to make great wine. There are literally thousands of rare, eclectic and idiosyncratic grape varieties used to make wine around the world. Yalumba's Vine Propagation Nursery is able to source many of these varieties, performing clonal and varietal selection, which ultimately provides small batches of fruit for Yalumba's Vinnovations label. In order to sustain the formulation of some of Australia's most compelling wines, Yalumba implements an environmental improvement programme that reflects credible environmental stewardship and due diligence.

At Yalumba, no aspect of winegrowing or winemaking is left to chance. For the past 30 years, Yalumba has been able to influence grape quality at its earliest stage. In the 1970s, the winery made a far-sighted decision to establish its own vine nursery. Today the Yalumba Vine Nursery is one of Australia's largest viticultural nurseries, supplying high quality vines to winemakers throughout Australia. Not only does the Nursery provide safe, quality rootstock for established varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, it is also a leading supplier of specialised clones such as the Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones in heavy demand by the country's leading winemakers.

In a wine market largely obsessed with single-varietal wines, Yalumba has remained steadfast in its commitment to that most Australian of wine styles, the Cabernet Shiraz blend. Cabernet Shiraz is taken so seriously by Yalumba, that Brian Walsh, Yalumba's Director of Winemaking persuaded the committee of the Adelaide Wine Show to introduce a separate judging class for the style. It's a wine style that is unique to Australia, he says, and plays such an important part in Australia's winemaking history.

As a wine business operating in the rural environment for over 150 years, Yalumba recognises the impact of its activities on its natural surrounds. Yalumba is committed to integrating best environmental practice into its everyday activities to ensure long-term sustainability. In 1999, Yalumba became the first Australian winery to sign up for the Greenhouse Challenge - an initiative dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yalumba's aim is to be recognised as Australia's finest independent wine company. A wine produced by means of environmentally-friendly sustainable processes is increasingly being recognised as being an intrinsic aspect of quality.

The crafting of oak barrels is a proud tradition at Yalumba with a coopering history dating back to the turn of the 20th century. With its own on-site cooperage, Yalumba is the only winery in Australia, and one of a small and select group of wineries in the world, to enjoy this privilege. Oak plays an important part in the winemaking process and Yalumba have the advantage of being able to have full control of the quality of oak used to age their wines. Yalumba imports oak staves from the world's best oak forests in France and America, and then air-dries the oak for many Barossan summers and winters to leach any sappy, bitter characters from the wood. This extended seasoning (as opposed to the more common practice of seasoning the oak for between 18 months and 2 years) imparts rich chocolate mocha characters and adds yet another layer of texture to the wine without masking the fruit flavours.

Gary was introduced to winemaking through retailing when, soon after leaving school, he worked for some of Melbourne’s most prestigious wine specialists and completed the wine marketing course at Roseworthy. He joined the Yellowglen Bannockburn partnership. Not content with the results of traditional Australian winemaking techniques of the time, his true education began in 1983 when he completed his first vintage at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy.

Since then (for almost a decade) Gary had continued to follow vintage at Bannockburn with a vintage at Domaine Dujac. In 1983, he started what was to become a regular pilgrimage to Domaine Dujac in Burgundy. There he found that whilst Australian technology was superior, to gain complexity from cool grown fruit he needed to adapt to the methods used by the traditional French vignerons.

Starting with the 1984 vintage Gary applied the techniques learned in France to his pinot noir, whole bunches with stalks fermented in large, open, cylindrical stainless steel vats. The traditional process required him to plunge into the tank, immersing his body into the wine to break up the ‘hot spots’ that occurred in this uneven and ancient form of winemaking. This method, called pigeage is still practised today in production of great burgundies.

Gary's uncompromising attitude towards his vineyard and winemaking enables him to make the style of wines he likes to drink. They have attitude and a great depth of character with understated finesse. Gary Farr was Quantas/Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year 2001 after being runner up in 2000. In 2003 he was voted equal 4th best living winemaker by his peers (The Age 28th May 2003).

Along with his son Nick (who makes his own wine under the Farr Rising Label) he has a total of 12ha in two blocks planted to pinot noir, chardonnay, viognier and shiraz - the second block of which he says "couldn't be a more perfect spot". He hankered after the 7.2ha of thinly covered limestone for 25 years but it's owner had resisted all entreaties to buy, bequeathing it to locals. When no surviving members of the family could be traced however, it was put up for auction and Farr secured what he feels will become a great vineyard.

The Collett family bought the Woodstock property in 1973 and quickly built a modest winery crushing its first vintage in 1974. Doug and Mary Collett's middle son Scott took over at Woodstock in 1982 after gaining a winemaking degree and varied winemaking experience in Australia, Europe and California.

Scott started the " Woodstock" brand in 1983 by releasing selected premium wines under the Woodstock label. Tasting success, Scott increased production and sales and in 1988, Scott and Anne Collett purchased neighbouring vineyards and built the Coterie. The aim now at Woodstock is for modest grape crops ripened to perfection to maximise flavour. Control is the key and the aim is quality not quantity. Integrated pest management is practised in the trend towards organic viticulture.

" ..to create and preserve the best flavours in generous, value for money wines. This starts in the vineyard and finishes in the wine glass and requires attention to detail at every stage"

The Angas Vineyard manager John Pargeter is a true innovator who utilises and adapts any available technology to assist his task of creating the best grape flavours possible. Grape quality is controlled by managing crop levels, (grape size, bunch weight and bunch numbers) and vigour of the vines. Canopy management controls size and density of each vine's foliage.

Shareholder Rocco Melino and staff commenced planting the Wirrega Vineyard in 1994 with the help of shareholder and viticulturist Geoff Hardy. Rocco's son Gino Melino became the manager of Wirrega Vineyard in 1999. As a director of Wirrega Vineyards, Scott Collett regularly visits the vineyard and monitors management through the seasons with fellow directors. The dividend Woodstock receives as a shareholder of Wirrega Vineyards is in the form of quality grapes for premium winemaking. As a small, red fermenting winery, Woodstock worked efficiently for 26 vintages. However, as grape tonnages grew and as Cellar Door and The Coterie visitor numbers grew, the winery became harder to run efficiently as a fermentation cellar.

With little else but a dream, determination and a sense of adventure, Otto packed his bags in search of the opportunities awaiting him in Australia. It was 1967 and like many Italian migrants before him, Otto migrated to Victoria’s King Valley in the foothills of the Victorian Alps in north-east Victoria. It was a taste of home; a stunning valley of rolling hills, fertile land, mild climate and an Italian agricultural heritage. Otto and his wife Elena used their agricultural experience to grow tobacco as share farmers until shrinking demand for tobacco and the introduction of the Tobacco Stabilisation Scheme bought about the decline of the local industry. With the purchase of their first property in Cheshunt 1987 came the exciting opportunity for Otto to return to his heritage. The couple planted Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines on their new property and Dal Zotto Estate Wines was born.

The winery first began as a contract supplier of premium quality grapes to larger wineries. The ideal conditions the winery enjoyed in the King Valley and Otto’s viticultural background meant our grapes were in high demand. At the same time the King Valley, once the heartland of tobacco production in Australia, was emerging as a renowned vine growing region. With time, Otto put his own winemaking skills to work using the best of the traditional Italian methods alongside some of the modern techniques Australia had to offer. Dal Zotto’s highly regarded Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot and Riesling were the impressive results.

With the expansion of the winery in 1994 came the opportunity for Otto to take the path less travelled and he decided to introduce Italian varietals into the vineyard – Barbera, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Arneis. All of which are perfectly suited to the winery’s terroir. Dal Zotto Estates had become pioneers of Italian varieties in Australia. The unique characteristics of Sangiovese, Barbera and Arneis are appealing to more and more wine consumers. The release of Prosecco (a dry, sparkling wine) for the first time in Australia is typical of Dal Zotto Estates commitment to both innovation and to honouring the family's heritage.

Dal Zotto Wines recently relocated their Cellar Door to the centre of Whitfield, at the same time building Rinaldo's of the King Valley Restaurant. Built in the early 1950s, the refurbished Cellar Door originally served as the Whitfield Police Station. Rinaldo's of the King Valley is operated by Otto and Elena's nephew, Adam Pizzini, who delights in sharing the family history of traditional Italian hospitality centred around the table. The restaurant sits next to the old Cellar Door in one of the farm's original tobacco sheds - the corrugated iron tobacco sheds and kilns are a major part of the King Valley landscape and offer a reminder of the region's recent agricultural history.

Adam Dal Zotto's menu features the best of local produce assembled into dishes with a delicious Italian accent. The kitchen garden next to the restaurant provides seasonal inspiration, especially through the blackboard of specials that change daily according to the available flavours. The menu works beautifully with a wine list that features many options including the Dal Zotto Estate range of favourites - hard to go past wine and food combinations made from ingredients you can see out of the window...but that's the King Valley for you.