Darebin Homemade Food & Wine Festival (1-8 June) celebrate the art of homemade culinary creations and who made the area delicious and diverse.
Featuring tours, workshops, bake-offs and curated markets, this annual event taps into the traditions of sustainable food practices among the culturally rich residents of Melbourne’s inner north.
One of them is Vince Vincitorio, who has been producing wine for 55 years.
Vincenzo "Vince" Vincitori has been making wine in his garage since the late 1960s. Hailing from the province of Foggia in Puglia, southern Italy, Vincitori arrived in Melbourne in 1955, just before the Olympic Games. He’d left Italy at the age of 17 to avoid being drafted into the army.
On arrival he found work in construction by day and drumming in nightclubs, or working as a waiter by night. Within 10 years he’d saved enough for a block of land in Kingsbury, where he built his own house where he resides to this day.
His father had a vineyard back home in Puglia and passed on his wine making knowledge to his son. Minimal interventionist wine making or natural wine making has become rather fashionable of late yet Vince has been making wine in this manner for most of his life, it’s the only method he knows.
His white wine stays in contact with the grape skins for 10 days. Once fermentation is complete he bottles without fining or filtration. He sources his grapes from acquaintances inSwan Hill and Mildura.
His DIY approach doesn’t stop at wine making, it’s a philosophy for life. He also makes his own beer, pasta, pizza and preserves. His backyard is dominated by a highly productive vegetable patch.
Vincitori drinks one bottle of wine per day, half with lunch and half with dinner. He is an extremely fit, healthy and active 82 year old. His passion is infectious, his hospitality generous.
Home Winemaking in the Garage
Saturday June 1, 1pm – 2pm
