De Bortoli Wines is a wine-producing private family-owned company based in Australia. In 2022 it was ranked the seventh largest Australian wine company by production,[2] and the sixth largest in terms of total revenue.[3] Its range of wines includes the sweet botrytized (Noble rot-affected) white dessert wine, Noble One.[4][5][6]
De Bortoli Wines Bilbul Winery
Wineries and vineyards
De Bortoli Wines currently owns four wineries in four different Australian wine growing regions, this follows the acquisition of the vineyards, winery and tourism facility of Rutherglen Estates in 2018.[7][8]
The company has vineyards in the same regions as its wineries, along with the King Valley in Victoria.
Winemaking
The winemaking team is overseen by third-generation winemaker Darren De Bortoli and his brother-in-law Steve Webber.[11] In the early 1980s, Darren De Bortoli created the Noble One Botrytis Semillon. Leanne De Bortoli and her husband, Steve Webber, established the company's Yarra Valley winery and restaurant complex in the late 1980s, with Steve Webber also responsible for overseeing the Yarra Valley winery and vineyards.[11][12][1]
Noble One
De Bortoli Wines Noble One BotrytisSemillon is a sweet white dessert wine, developed by Darren De Bortoli during the early 1980s.[6]
Since its release, Noble One has been awarded 104[13] Trophies, 352 Gold medals[13] and 113 International Awards. In 2005 screw cap closures were placed on 50% of the 750ml bottles of 2003 Noble One in a trial that attempted to ensure fruit intensity and freshness for consumers. De Bortoli Wines have kept the 375ml, 50% of the 750ml and all export stock under cork. However, in an industry where issues over cork taint keep arising, approximately 34% of wines are sealed with some type of synthetic closure.
Noble One was given its name in 1990 as a result of the bilateral agreement between Australia and the European Economic Community in which Australia agreed to phase out the use of European names on wine labels. Previously the wine was known as 'Sauternes,' but today it is simply called Noble One.[14]
History
During Darren De Bortoli's years at Roseworthy Agricultural College, Australia's premier winemaking institute, a lot of development work was being done on Botrytis wine styles. While there, De Bortoli decided to make botrytis-affected wine of his own. At that time (1982) there was a surplus of Semillon grapes, a thin-skinned, tight-bunched varietal particularly susceptible to extensive, uniform botrytis infection. The resulting wine went on to win numerous awards including Best Botrytis Wine at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 1984.[4]
History
De Bortoli Wines was established in 1928 by Vittorio & Giuseppina De Bortoli and rapidly expanded under the direction of their son, Deen De Bortoli.[15] The family history is documented in a book called Celebrazione! launched in 2003 to celebrate De Bortoli Wines' 75th Anniversary.[16]
Deen De Bortoli (born 1936) was the chairman of De Bortoli Wines. He was born in 1936, and at age 15 he left school to help his parents Vittorio and Giuseppina run the family business.[15] He married Emeri De Bortoli in 1958, and lived in Bilbul, New South Wales, his whole life. Deen and Emeri had four children, all of which work for the company today. Deen featured in the 2002 episode of the ABC's Dynasties television series titled The De Bortolis of Griffith[17] which tracked the growth over three generations of the family business from Italian immigrants into one of Australia's largest family wine companies. Deen passed away in 2003 at the age of 67.[15]
Darren De Bortoli (born 1960) is currently the managing director of De Bortoli Wines Pty Limited. Darren studied winemaking at Roseworthy College in South Australia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology in 1982. Darren is well known for his Botrytis Semillon, Noble One. At the age of 33, Darren was appointed Managing Director.[18] Along with his father, he was also featured in the 2002 episode of the ABC's Dynasties television series titled The De Bortolis of Griffith[17]
Darren's sister Leanne manages the Yarra and King Valley wineries with her husband Stephen Webber. Webber is also the Chief Winemaker, for the Yarra Valley Winery of the De Bortoli family business, established in 1928. He was awarded 'Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE' in 2007.[19]
In 2018 a social media scandal surrounding Darren De Bortoli's personal postings became international news. The postings were described as "sexist" and "inappropriate."[20]
Achievements
The Graham Gregory Award for Services to the NSW Wine Industry, in 1995.[21]
The Inaugural Golden Plate Award for his contribution to the wine industry in the Riverina.[15]
Examples of De Bortoli Wines' long-term view of environmental sustainability include:
Participating in the Greenhouse Challenge and Packaging Covenant and the Australian Wine Industry Environmental Stewardship program.
Adopting an integrated Pest Management System in the vineyard minimising the use of chemical sprays.
Purchasing easy to clean winery equipment to minimise water usage, for example, dry cake discharge filters and centrifuges.
Adopting recycling practices at all sites e.g. composting of winery skins and stalks, restaurant compostables, separation of bottles, cardboard, cork, and plastic.
Replacing sodium with potassium in the cleaning process for winery tanks and machinery due to concerns relating to salinity in the environment. This change also enabled the reuse of winery wastewater (now containing potash) as a fertiliser for crops.[27][28]
Having the first project from NSW Office of Environment and Heritage's Sustainability Advantage program recognised as Platinum,[28][29] and in 2022 becoming the first organisation to be awarded the title of Platinum Partner under the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage Program[30][31][32]
