Good Pair Days - Chrismont 'La Zona' Barbera 2017

Few wine growing families have as much history as the Pizzini's of Chrismont, who migrated from Northern Italy to the King Valley in the 1950's. Arnie's father, a wine 'sommelier', brought out his family of four boys, first to Melbourne, and settled for horticulture, growing tobacco, as did so many Italian migrants. For decades, the family were waiting for a good reason to plant far less lucrative grapevines. Barbera was first planted in 1984 (a nod to 'home' perhaps) but it was in the late 1980's, when the Australian government capped 90% of their tobacco production, and literally overnight, they went broke. The catalyst for wine growing is now a wonderful success story.

Today, they are still family owned, with a wonderful winemaker and a destination restaurant inspired by the traditional flavours of Milan, Bologna and Florence. A weekend drive to the mountainous foothills of the King Valley must be on your bucket list. 'La Zona' meaning 'the area' in Italian, are the wines we love by Chrismont - Mediterranean varietals such as Barbera, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese, to more random less heard of grapes such as Marzemino and Fragolino.

Barbera is a wonderful variety, in its sheer juiciness that can gain complexity with a few years in the bottle, as this wine really has. Black cherries, rhubarb and a succulent chocolaty note backed by toasted oak and a hint of herbal character, it's deliciously full in flavour with a soft body and an earthy finish.