Arguably Australia's foremost authority on Prosecco, Melissa Brauer has been extolling the virtues of Prosecco for the past 15 years, and returns regularly to the Veneto, Italy’s home of Prosecco, as well as spending countless weekends in the King Valley in North East Victoria, the birthplace of Australian Prosecco.

She started Melbourne’s annual Prosecco Festival, now in its EIGTH year, in 2018, as a way to showcase the range of styles of Prosecco, from bottle-fermented Col Fondo, through to more fruit-forward wines. She highlights some of her favourite winemakers and importers, with wines made from the grapes hand-picked from the steep slopes of the Veneto hills in North East Italy, to Australia’s first Prosecco from Dal Zotto in the King Valley, and all the delicious drops in between. 

In 2017 she and her husband bought and renovated ‘Whitty Cottage’ in Whitfield,  which is walking distance from some their favourite local wineries along the Prosecco Road, including Dal Zotto and Pizzini. 

Melissa regularly hosts wine dinners and master classes at restaurants and bars around Melbourne and interstate, and her private in-home masterclasses are a huge hit. She also hosts corporate events. Her next tour to Italy kicks off in May 2025.

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She loves teaching people about this widely-consumed but often misunderstood wine, and her greatest delight comes when people try a new Prosecco for the first time and say “Wow, I had no idea Prosecco could taste like that!”  She also has an Instagram & Facebook page dedicated to Prosecco, as well as owning and operating Van Di Vino, Australia’s original Prosecco van and Spritz bar.

Melissa’s hope from all her events is that you will come away with a new-found understanding of the different styles, as well as an appreciation for these winemakers and importers who strive to provide us with these wonderful wines!