How glorious is my valley

The King Valley is green. It’s Alpine country and valley country. You drive into it and see vines and old tobacco sheds, olive groves and mountains. The hillsides are steep. The forests dark and vast. To get there you drive through fields of pale hay and dry grass and then this oasis appears. Where things grow. An oasis of good folk, good coffee, good wine and good food. In days gone by they grew tobacco in this valley and its bright green-yellow leaves were known for their quality. Important point, that. Even the tobacco was high quality. The King Valley’s wines and food are now known for their quality too.

The King Valley’s got substance. Some reckon it’s like Italy in the Australian Alps – because it is – though given the quality of the sangiovese, nebbiolo and prosecco now coming from the valley, I’ve started saying that Italy is like the King Valley. As a witticism. Funny, because there’s truth in it.

The King Valley is in the north-eastern hills of the Victorian High Country. The villages of Milawa and Beechworth are nearby. Italian immigrants came to the area in the 1940s and 50s. They looked at where you could grow things, and saw land at 150 metres above sea level at the north end of the valley, near Wangaratta, all the way up to the snowline and beyond, in the south. You could grow all kinds of goodies here. The importance and value of diversity. High on the hills or low, depending on the warmth or rain you required. Mountains, streams and clean air. This is a place.

A bunch of Italian immigrants, in a green, steep, snow-in-winter region. This isn’t like southern Italy. This is Tuscany up to northern Italy. It’s a quirk of fate and a beautiful one: a bunch of Italians landed in an Australian landscape that was like the best parts of Italy.

Popping Up

And they’re gonna bring the King Valley to Sydney. For seven nights in November. Lock, stock and barrels – full of wine.

Well, almost. It’s called a ‘pop up bar’. Devoted to the King Valley. I had to ask too. A pop up bar ‘pops up’ out of nowhere and then, at the end of the event …pops down again. Tourism Victoria is building one in Sydney – they’re going to call it King’s Vault – and when you visit it and taste from it and eat from it you’ll find that the King Valley is a lot more than just some place that looks cute in a magazine spread.

The King’s Vault is going to be awesome. They aren’t skimping – the King Valley folks know they’ve got something to be proud of, and they’re putting a confident step forward. Tastings and private events, lots of the King Valley’s wines and regional food – inspired by the region’s finest chefs. Worth getting excited over. Sample the wine. With the food. All from this beautiful region.

King Valley winemakers including Fred and Joel Pizzini (Pizzini Wines), Arnie Pizzini (Chrismont), Sam Miranda (Sam Miranda King Valley), some of the Brown Brothers clan and Otto and Michael Dal Zotto (Dal Zotto Estate) will all be there to share their stories from the vineyards and beyond.

The location of the King’s Vault will be revealed by SMS on Wednesday 18 November.  To get your name on the door list, register on this site. Don’t forget. This is a rare opportunity to taste some amazing wines, and hear some great wine making stories from the mouths of the winemakers themselves. If you love good Australian wine, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Tell you what … I’m definitely going.