De Bortoli Woodfired Heathcote Shiraz

It all began in1924, when Vittorio De Bortoli emigrated from the mountain villages near Asolo at the foothills of the Northern Italian Alps. Arriving in Melbourne with little more than a few clothes and a couple of shillings in his pocket, Vittorio hopped on a train to Griffith in New South Wales, having been told that work was available in the region. Like so many of the Italian immigrants to the Riverina and other regions, he brought with him his love of wine – a normal part of life back home. And like so many, he was keen to make his own. Hard work, including a stint at what would become the local McWilliams’ winery, enabled him to purchase a 55 acre block at Bilbul, what was then called a ‘mixed fruit salad farm’. Today, it still remains the centre of operations for the company and the vineyards have since grown to over 300 hectares. De Bortoli is spread across the regions of Riverina, Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley and King Valley.