Goodness. Gracious. Me. I had a lurking suspicion that Spectator Australia readers enjoyed a glass of wine, but judging by the orders placed with last Christmas’s wine offer, this organ’s readers have raging thirsts which must be slaked. Our esteemed editor has therefore put the foot down (that’s a wine term) and commissioned a follow-up offer. I’ve had to do a fair bit of tasting to get this together, but, then again, I am a Speccie reader…

This time we are off to Dal Zotto in Victoria’s King Valley. It is über cool up here in the alpine northeast, both in terms of wine styles and climate: the high altitude equates to wine with attitude as the cold nights help retain a grape’s natural acidity. It’s wine with tension, wine that make you feel alive.

Dal Zotto is a family affair, championed by Otto Dal Zotto, the towering and engaging father-figure from Valdobbiadene in the foothills above Treviso, home to prosecco. He came to Australia in 1967 and, like many Italian families in the King Valley, grew tobacco before moving all too naturally into wine, nearly 30 years ago. His son Michael is a winemaker as gifted as he is pragmatic, and hence the wonderful wines that follow, complete with a generous 20 per cent discount off normal shelf prices. Prosecco – the current darling of the sparkling wine world – is their thing. They set the benchmark in Australia, so we’ll start with that.

1) Dal Zotto Pucino Prosecco 2014, $18.40 by the dozen, down from $23.
Finally, a breakfast wine that is not lolly-juice! This crisp, 10.5 per cent alcohol sparkling white wine is made from the prosecco grape, which besports itself in the King Valley as well (even better?) as it does in the Veneto. No wonder: for Otto it is deep speaking to deep. The distinctive aromatic DNA of prosecco is here: apples. Royal Gala and Pink Lady in this case, with an underlying hint of musk. It’s clean, clear, dry, and long, suiting prosciutto e melone perfectly. Crown-sealed for efficacy.

2) Dal Zotto Pinot Grigio 2015, $15.20, down from $19.
If prosecco is all apple then pinot grigio is all pear. Smell, taste and pear skin-like texture. This provides a bit of grip as it navigates one’s palate – or mouth, as these orifices used to be called. The effect? Whilst it is aromatic and refreshing, it is also a white wine that politely fights back. Serve it with opinionated first courses or politically incorrect antipasti. (It is entirely unsuited to quinoa – organic, fair-trade or sustainable, it matters not.) I like this wine with Gorgonzola Dolce Latte and slices of fresh pear, served on a dinner plate with a knife and fork.

3) Dal Zotto Rosato 2015, $14.40, down from $18.
Pink wine is proof God loves us. If He didn’t we’d only have red and white. Rosé is the heavenly third way, and the ultimate accompaniment to anything you say, eat, or do over the hot and humid weeks of February – Australia’s cruelest month. This example is made from barbera – the racy, cleansingly acidic red variety from Piedmont. Summer berries – black, blue, and rasp – are all here, in a quiet way; and there’s a tantalizing and very grown-up hint of something bitter about it, as if Otto has secretly tipped a shot of Campari into each bottle. Yum. Being dry it suits any foodstuff drowned in olive oil.

4) Dal Zotto Sangiovese 2014, $20, down from $25.
The dark, liquid language of Chianti, sangiovese has probably been the King Valley’s vinous saviour. This example was picked early, so the variety’s cherry-pip taste and texture is evident; but there’s a moreish and approachable red berry fruit flavour, to boot. Sangiovese’s distinctive finishing tannins dry the wine out, making you want another glass; another glass requires another slice of, say, sopressa. And so on.

All wine under screwcap, except the crown-sealed Prosecco. Minimum order a case of 12, and there’s a sample case of three of each bottle. Delivery starts from $16.10 per case nationally. Vinum Vitae.