Dal Zotto Pucino Prosecco NV

Otto Dal Zotto is considered the pioneer of prosecco in Australia. He established Dal Zotto in Victoria's picturesque King Valley in 1987. Otto, born in Valdobbiadene in the Veneto region of Italy, remembers growing up sipping prosecco with the family. "In Australia, you couldn’t get a decent prosecco and I wanted something that reminded me of home," so he planted 300 prosecco vines in 1999. The rest is history and by 2017, Dal Zotto was producing 40,000 cases of prosecco annually.

"This is the one that started the whole crazy, controversial movement towards prosecco in this country. It brings energy, zest, plenty of bubbly attitude and a just-glad-to-be-alive vivacity that can't fail to excite. Flavours are bright in red apple, lemon zest, quince and tart grapefruit, with acidity running bright and pristine. Don't overthink it, just enjoy."  Jeni Port

"Our classic, fresh and vibrant Prosecco. Bright citrus and pear on the nose and a crisp, clean palate with apple, pear and lemon. Very approachable and a whole lot of fun, with gentle bubbles and fruit combining seamlessly, and offering the maximum amount of freshness for a drink early, enjoy and not necessarily in moderation style of sparkling wine; a spot on example of Prosecco."  Dal Zotto

Expert reviews

"This is the OG – the one that started the whole crazy, controversial movement towards prosecco in this country. It brings energy, zest, plenty of bubbly attitude and a just-glad-to-be-alive vivacity that can't fail to excite. Flavours are bright in red apple, lemon zest, quince and tart grapefruit, with acidity running bright and pristine. Don't overthink it, just enjoy."  Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion - 94 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

Awards

Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion  ★ 

Dal Zotto prosecco

Patriarch Otto Dal Zotto was the first to plant prosecco in this country commercially and is considered the pioneer of prosecco in Australia. Otto was born in the village of Valdobbiadene, located in the Veneto region of Italy and home to high quality prosecco. He remembers growing up sipping prosecco with the family, a tradition he continues with his grandchildren today. 

Otto always knew the King Valley, with its Mediterranean climate, was the perfect place to grow the varieties he grew up with. But it wasn’t until 1998, when sitting around the table with his family, that he decided to plant prosecco. "In Australia, you couldn’t get a decent prosecco and I wanted something that reminded me of home." 

It took 12 months to produce the grafted prosecco vines in sufficient numbers to allow viable plantings to be undertaken. The cuttings were obtained from a fellow Italian migrant who had imported them into Australia. Otto had them DNA tested to confirm their authenticity. Three hundred vines were planted in 1999 and five years later the first vintage of Dal Zotto Prosecco was released. "It was a long and painful journey – I was so scared. If it was a flop, all the time and money we invested would have gone down the drain," recalls Otto. In hindsight, there was no need to worry.

Their first prosecco, called  L'Immigrante (meaning 'the immigrant'), was made using the Traditional Method (Methode Traditionnelle), where secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. Later, as output increased, Dal Zotto started making a second Prosecco called Pucino (the ancient Roman name for Prosecco) using the Charmat Method, where secondary fermentation takes place under pressure in stainless steel tanks. This allows a consistent product to be produced at an affordable price and the wine is bottled in batches as needed.

Otto’s son, Michael, began working the vintages in the mid-90s. He was awarded a fellowship in 2009 that allowed him to visit Italy for a detailed study of prosecco winemaking. The immersion in Italian culture was a powerful experience for him, Otto says. "He came back with a different view and mindset, with a real fire in his belly. Not just because of prosecco, but because of the culture, the people… He discovered more about the way I grew up. He now returns to Europe almost every year for vintage. He continues to get better and better at winemaking." 

"Prosecco is part of our family history – I learned the art of making prosecco from my father, and he learned it from his father, so we’re really proud of our heritage," says Michael.

Otto now manages the vineyard and leaves the winemaking to Michael. In 2017, Dal Zotto produced 40,000 cases of prosecco, a mighty leap from that 300-case startup. To achieve the production level, fruit was also sourced from three other estate growers in the King Valley, each vineyard managed to Michael’s exacting specifications. There are plans to increase production by 30% in 2018, and 15% each year after that. 

Christian, the other son, has become a global dynamo in wine sales and marketing. He’s spent the past decade travelling Australia and the world, spreading the word on just how enjoyable prosecco is, and has opened up significant new domestic and international markets. "Christian is doing a great job", says Otto. "He handles 100 percent of marketing, communication and branding and is so successful in this role. He’s now got our wine selling into Singapore and more recently Dubai. I’m very proud of his achievements."

"Looking back, to where we’ve come from, it’s amazing what we’ve achieved. Not only for ourselves, but you now have serious wineries, big wineries, that really want to have prosecco in their range. That’s great! We’re seeing more and more people loving prosecco here in Australia – you give them a glass and it puts a smile on their face," reflects Otto. 

About the winery

"Otto and Elena Dal Zotto established Dal Zotto Estate in North East Victoria’s King Valley in 1987. Back then it was a small vineyard planted to chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon producing a few tonnes of grapes. These days the family vineyard holdings run close to 400 acres, there is a full winery on site, not to mention the cellar door, Trattoria, accommodation, kitchen gardens and sweeping lawns running down to the King River. Otto and Elena's sons Michael & Christian now own Dal Zotto and continue to be inspired by and add to the Dal Zotto vision.

The story begins in 1948 with the birth of Otto Dal Zotto in Valdobbiadene, a cool-climate wine-producing village just below the alpine part of Italy’s Veneto region and the home of prosecco. In 1967 he came to Australia, and like many northern Italians, was drawn to Victoria’s alpine region where the snow-capped peaks in the distance and sub-alpine climate felt a little like home.

Otto’s first step was to buy land in Cheshunt, ten minutes from Whitfield in the King Valley. The land was used for tobacco farming for 20 years, and Otto believed his future was set. But things began to change in the 1980s, "The writing was on the wall for tobacco – there was already talk about banning it," says Otto. "We were wondering what to grow, vineyards were starting to appear in the King Valley, so we decided to put grapes on it, an idea that had been in the back of my mind since leaving the Veneto where I’d grown up surrounded by vineyards."

Having bought more neighbouring land soon after, the Dal Zottos began to plant the Italian varieties close to their hearts – barbera, sangiovese, pinot grigio and arneis. The scene was set for the greatest of them all – prosecco. "Like most good ideas, it came about sitting around the table with the family," says Otto. "In Australia, you couldn’t get a decent prosecco and I wanted something that reminded me of home. So, in 1999 we initiated the first serious planting of prosecco vines in Australia. It was a long and painful journey – I was so scared you can’t even imagine. If it was a flop, all the time and money we invested would have gone down the drain." Of course there was no need to worry. "We’re seeing more and more people just love prosecco here in Australia – you give them a glass and it puts a smile on their face," says Otto. "I never thought what we started could have become what it is now!"

Otto probably couldn’t have seen the growth of the entire Dal Zotto wine business coming either. It was the addition of the next generation of Dal Zottos that marked the beginning of a major growth phase – Michael as winemaker and Christian handling sales and marketing.

Michael Dal Zotto started his working life as an accountant but was soon drawn into the family business. He has been making the wine at Dal Zotto for well over a decade now. In 2009 he was awarded a prestigious International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI) fellowship, given to industry leaders to travel and further nurture their chosen art from the masters in their trade. Michael travelled to Valdobbiadene, the birthplace of prosecco (and Otto of course) to learn from the original prosecco producers.

The Dal Zotto family lives and works by the credo of family, tradition and innovation and with a third generation becoming involved in the vineyard, cellar door, kitchen garden and events, it seems there is plenty more family, tradition and innovation to come."  Dal Zotto