Since tasting samples from his dad’s bottle shop as a youngster, wine was always on his mind – it just took a few years to turn it from a passion into an award-winning career.
All things come to those who wait” is a much-massaged quotation, but ask Marc Scalzo to describe his journey into wine and he’s likely to reply, “Piano piano”. Piano piano translates as softly, slowly. It is the name chosen by Scalzo and his wife Lisa Herman for their own wines, but these enter later in his story.
Scalzo was always interested in wine – even fascinated. “My father Mario managed a bottle shop in Wangaratta, specialising in local wines. He’d always bring home samples of wine and, being in an Italian family, allowed me to try them, although I’m not sure he ever listened to me,” Scalzo explains.
After graduating with a science degree from Monash University Scalzo joined IBM. Wine was never far from his thoughts, however, so he took holidays to work a vintage at John Gehrig wines in the King Valley. “I was hooked on the first day,” he states. “I loved the hard work across all the tasks and being hands on.” Two vintages in New Zealand followed, as well as many weekends at local wineries, particularly Giaconda. He credits many discussions with Rick Kinzbrunner for his understanding of barrel usage.
During his years with IBM it dawned on Scalzo that he wasn’t destined for corporate life, so he began studying by distance for the winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University. He and Herman also planted a small vineyard in King Valley, growing merlot, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and touriga. In his last year at Charles Sturt, he left IBM and spent the winter pruning “in freezing cold conditions” for Brown Brothers “to give myself a challenge”. The experience gave him a respect for the minutiae of viticulture, including planting density, aspect and row orientation. It also led to a period as cellar-hand with the Browns, during which chief winemaker Terry Barnett surprised him by offering him the position of vintage winemaker. Not long after that he was appointed assistant winemaker, working under Barnett and later Wendy Cameron, who was a finalist in Gourmet Traveller WINE’s 2015 Winemaker of the Year.
Scalzo unhesitatingly nominates these two as having a big influence on his career. “Terry taught me to stand firm on the things that matter – not to let the accountants rule the world and winery, such as not using mechanical harvesting for sparkling wine. Working with Wendy was wonderful, too, for her great background and wide wine knowledge. She also taught me how to be organised in a large winery,” he explains.
Scalzo regards his six years with Brown Brothers as formative. He was responsible for the company’s development of pinot grigio, allowed “to play around” with different techniques on this as well as on arneis and tempranillo. Pinot grigio is now one of the company’s most successful wines. He also trialled variations in barrel fermentation of chardonnay. “I was always allowed to push the boundaries,” he says.
In 2003 Scalzo and Herman expanded Piano Piano, buying a house and land in Beechworth just above Giaconda and planting chardonnay and shiraz.
Scalzo joined Rutherglen Estates as assistant winemaker in 2008, moving to his current position as chief winemaker in 2014. He’s responsible for a wide range of wines, from sparkling through table wines to the regional Rutherglen specialty fortified muscat. Mainstream varieties include pinot grigio, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, a mourvèdre shiraz grenache blend and that other local star, durif. Rutherglen Estates’ 2013 Renaissance Durif won four trophies at the 2015 Rutherglen Wine Show. The wine’s Renaissance white partner, Viognier Roussanne Marsanne, has also been a multiple trophy winner. The emerging varieties include fiano, arneis, savagnin, tempranillo, sangiovese and zinfandel. All are delicious, accessible wines.
Faced with all these varieties, Scalzo’s philosophy is “don’t push a wine where it’s not going to go” – to let each variety express its own character without trying to force it in a predetermined direction. His most recent award, however, was for his own 2012 Piano Piano Sophie’s Block Chardonnay, which won the trophy for Best Boutique Vineyard Wine at the 2015 Victorian Wines Show.
To a musician, piano also means ‘quietly’, which suits this quiet achiever who’s achieved so much.