A three hour drive north of Melbourne, discover the King Valley, one of the most picturesque and unspoilt valleys in Australia
Victoria’s stunning King Valley is located at the foothills of the Alpine National Park, approximately 3 hours North East of Melbourne. The King Valley wine region has become known as Australia’s home of Italian wine varietals, including Prosecco, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Dolcetto, Arneis and Barbera, although King Valley varietals also include premium traditional cool climate wines.
The valley’s continental climate provides warm days and cool nights, influenced by the katabatic breeze that sweeps northward down the valley from the high country. The region takes advantage of a range of microclimates, from the slightly warmer valley floors to the bracingly cool upper slopes, enabling production of a wide range of wine styles.
The valley follows the King River which flows from the mountainous ranges all the way down to the city of Wangaratta.
HISTORY
Winemaking in the King Valley dates back to the late 19th century with the Brown family planting their first vines in Milawa in 1889. The prominence of Italian wine varietal production in the King Valley reflects the region’s relatively recent history as well as the favourable climate. For many years the area was occupied by numerous tobacco farms and many of the tobacco farmers were of Italian origin. From the late 1970’s favourable government policies and subsidies to the tobacco industry were phased out and the tobacco farms have steadily been replaced by vineyards.