Last week I had an amazing white wine that was so good I absolutely had to share it. I feel a bit bad about doing so though, because you can no longer purchase this delicious wine from the vintage that I tried. But you could try the newest vintage and I’m sure it will be good…it comes from one of my favourite wineries from King Valley after all! In my eyes, this winery can do no wrong, so I am sure even though you cannot replicate the amazing wine I tried last week, you will still have a beautiful wine from the 2017 vintage (they also make one of my favourite proseccos which I highly recommend).

One of my biggest regrets from my time in Melbourne was not visiting the King Valley. I did pretty much every other wine region around Melbourne, but this one I never quite made it to as it was just a little too far away for a weekend getaway, plus whenever my partner came down to visit we had a myriad of foodie destinations in Melbourne to tick off so it was hard to get away! Not the worst problem to have by any means, but I still really wish I had made it to King Valley while I had access to a car and lived in the state, as now being a visitor to Melbourne it would be a little more difficult (and far more costly).

Why I need to visit the King Valley

I definitely need to visit, as it is one of my favourite regions because it is like a mecca for Italian wines in Australia. I mean they have a golden road for goodness sake, which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever because it is all focused around prosecco. You can stop at all the wineries along the road that hero prosecco, and I guarantee that is a good time! Not to mention all the other varieties of Italian wine that this region offers; Visiting here would probably lead to me never wanting to leave, and I would probably decide that I needed to reside there for the rest of my life, sipping wine and eating pasta.

I don’t think I’ve tried one wine from the King Valley that I haven’t enjoyed, and I know to seek them out when I’m in a bottle shop, especially when it comes to prosecco. When I’m buying red wine I’ll usually seek out this region as I love the Italian varieties, in particular Sangiovese, and I have had some great ones from this region that rival those from Italy. But I haven’t really ever thought to try the region’s white wines. Probably because it isn’t often that I buy the wine myself, but this wine I had last week opened my eyes to how good these could be, and now my whole world has been changed. I know I didn’t drink that much white wine in Italy (I was too focused on the Spritz and Red Wine life), but I’ve definitely added them to my list after having this particular wine.

Pizzini does it again

The wine comes from Pizzini. If you haven’t heard of them, seriously, get on their wines. Their Sangiovese is probably my favourite of the variety, and their prosecco is to die for. If you ever decide to go to King Valley you can be lucky enough to stay on their winery. My parents were lucky enough to stay there and it sounded incredible. I don’t know where else I would want to stay. I am lucky that my parents love their wines too. They are often buying cases that I just so happen to get to enjoy when I’m over if I’m lucky.

The wine I tried was the Pizzini Verduzzo from the 2001 vintage. Yep, you heard me, 2001. This wine was made while I was still in primary school, and it has been aging away just like yours truly. I was lucky enough to be in the right place, right time to enjoy this wine. It was my sister’s birthday, and even though she doesn’t drink, we were. To celebrate of course! My mum wanted to open a bottle of white wine before dinner so sent me to the fridge, and the only bottle in the fridge was this one. I tentatively told her it was the only one, assuming she wouldn’t want to open it, especially as my dad was out, and he loves Pizzini as much as I do. But mum decided we should open it, so I was lucky enough to get to try this wine. In case you’re wondering, we did leave some for dad, we aren’t that mean and to be honest I was a bit worried he might not talk to me again if he didn’t get to try it.

Why I loved it

This wine was absolutely incredible. I’m still dreaming about it! Firstly, the age had made the colour really yellow and bright. The flavour was quite sweet because of how long it had been in the bottle. It was so complex and delicious, I don’t think you’d need the age to enjoy it. I’ve never had a Verduzzo before but now that I’ve had it I’ll definitely be seeking it out more often.

What I loved most was how it was rich to start off with, but the back was fresh. This meant that it left a crisp flavour long after you’d taken a sip. I like that it was quite rich at the start though as it cut through the sweetness. I definitely had to sneak a second glass before we put the rest away for my dad.

What to enjoy it with

As per usual, I enjoyed this with cheese and cured meats and it was absolutely perfect. But I think it would also go really well with pork dishes that aren’t tomato based.

The final verdict

Well there you have it, I’ve learnt that I like a new wine variety, and it was awesome! Definitely check out Pizzini if you want great Italian wines like this one!