Australia

The De Bortoli family story is one of determination and triumph that started 90 years ago in war-torn Europe and is now told, generations later, across Australia.

Starting with Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli, our history encompasses the universal story of immigrants making good in an adopted land through hard work, innovation and the support of family and friends.

From humble beginnings making small amounts of dry table wine, mostly for fellow European immigrants, De Bortoli Wines expanded and consolidated under the direction of Vittorio and Giuseppina’s energetic son Deen and his wife Emeri. Their four children – Darren, Leanne, Kevin and Victor – joined the family business and developed De Bortoli’s reputation for premium wine, firstly through iconic dessert wine Noble One and then via the success of the cool climate wines produced at the family’s Yarra Valley Estate.

Today, as a fourth generation contemplates entering the family business, De Bortoli Wine’s official motto, Semper ad Majora (“always striving for better”) and the unofficial one (good food, good wine and good friends) remain as true and central as ever.

Our philosophy is that great wine begins in the vineyard and should reflect the region where the grapes that made it are grown. Achieving this must involve both vineyard and winery.

In the vineyard, it means thoughtful site selection, vine maturity and a move towards sustainable, biological farming practices that deliver exceptional fruit quality and real environmental benefits. It also involves an increasing embrace of single vineyard wines.

In the winery, it’s all about restraint, minimal interference and allowing the wine to ‘make itself’. With our winemaking, the mantra “it’s harder to do nothing” expresses our approach.

Chief winemaker Steve Webber believes that to make wines of “detail, texture and minerality, charm and interest” it has to be about “site and season”.  

“Character and personality in wine comes from the imperfections of nature,” he says.