A family gem in Victoria's King Valley
I must confess that Dal Zotto’s range of Proseccos are among my favourites of all time. Having tasted quite a few of them over the past 12 months in various venues and food and wine festivals around Melbourne, I was very much looking forward to paying their cellar door and Trattoria a visit.
One of the things that has to be applauded is the attention to design in their wine labels. Of course this doesn’t make the wine taste better but their branding is just so strong and modern, but so rustic at the same time with the references to the corrugated iron that is on the property itself.
It’s modern, fresh and confident looking, without being pompous.
Anyway, design preferences aside, let’s talk about the food and wine.
Entry to the trattoria is through the cellar door. A fresh, modern space that can easily services 8 or 10 people at the counter. We lingered a little to take in the space, and then moved into the restaurant for a leisurely Sunday lunch.
Young happy waitresses served us with ease whilst we enjoyed looking at the surrounding hills.
My sparkling companion on this trip had gnocchi primavera, delectable fluffy, creamy, silky pillows with peas, asparagus, with a light touch of cream and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan. I very much enjoyed the fettuccine with pancetta, spring onions, topped with a poached egg and garlic crumbs...and of course a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan as well. The pancetta had the most beautiful flavour I’ve tasted in a while. Definitely the hero ingredient in this dish.
Ambience was casual, noise levels quite high thanks to the high corrugated ceilings and the fact that it was fully booked. We saw a number of customers come through who hadn’t booked and sadly had to be turned away. Seems like a good position for a country restaurant to be in.
On our way out, we took our time at the cellar door, sampling a large range of their wines, both still and sparkling. I made a bee line for their new Arneis, Garganega and Chardonnay. Along with sparkling wine, chardonnay has always been my white wine of choice, even when it seemed to go out of fashion (when everyone was jumping on the Sauvingnon Blanc band wagon). The Dal Zotto Arneis was lovely. The Dal Zotto Chardonnay, sublime. Just the right balance of oak/wood and depth of flavour. Looking forward to cracking this one open when we get home.
I have always preferred my wines dry. But as there was a dessert wine on offer, and so far, I’ve liked almost everything of Dal Zotto that I’ve tried, it would have been remiss of me not to give it a go. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Called "Elena", it was not sickly sweet, syrupy or sickly as I may have expected, but instead light and silky, with lovely honeyed flavours running through it. Glad I tried it as I purchased a bottle along with the Chardonnay.
All in all, we probably spent just under an hour at the Cellar door, tasting many others in between the lovely man behind the bar, Peter, serving the steady stream of people coming in to taste. We left sufficiently happy with our lunch and tasting experience....and purchases to confirm this.
If you’re looking for a relaxed, genuine, family-style Italian trattoria, and a tasting experience that showcases wines you can't get anywhere else, this is one not to miss.
