For 5 years I have wanted to visit King Valley in Victoria. Mostly because I have a very soft spot for Sangiovese, and King Valley just happens to be the best place in Australia to grow italian-style grapes. So finally this year for my birthday, I booked my own trip and we headed down for what was essentially a long weekend. I found a deal on Luxury Escapes, and we stayed at the Lindewarrah Hotel.

While I think my idea of a perfect weekend would be sleeping late and sipping on wine all afternoon into the evening, we did decide to get out and do a little hiking – just to make sure we weren’t at wineries *all* day long. There are a few areas around King Valley that are absolutely great hiking paths. Today’s shot was out the back of our hotel, as the day was coming to a close.

Also, of the wineries that we visited, these three were the highlights:

Sam Miranda Wines – really nice selection, and diverse range of wines. Their Prosecco was very nice, the Chardonney was surprisingly good, as was the Barbera and the Sangiovese.

Pizzini Wines – they are the kings of Sangiovese. They do make a selection of other wines, a couple of the highlights are the Arneis and the Pinot Grigio. However, they offer four separate Sangioveses, including the more approachable Nonna Gisella, the mid-range Pietra Rossa, the stronger Forza di Ferro, and the reserve Rubacuori.

Dal Zotto – known for their Prosseco (they have five different kinds), they also make quite a few nice reds as well. Again, their Pinot Grigio, their Arneis and the Insieme white field blend are the stand-outs on the lighter side. Their Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and the Cuore Del Re (their Super Tuscan) are fantastic reds – but I am fairly confident to say they have the absolutely best Barbera made in Australia.

Sony A7R II | Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM | 24mm | f/4 | ISO400 | 1/2500th