History of the Corsini family vineyard
The story that has led us to where we are today
Gino Corsini
Gino was born on the 15th of May, 1933 in Bagni di Lucca, Italy. He was the eldest of 4 children and was raised with his immediate family, Grandparents, Uncle, Aunt, and cousins on a small farm in Bagni di Lucca. They produced most of their own food and as with many European families, made wine together. After WWII, unemployment in Italy was very high, so Gino did whatever job he could find. This included wood cutting, working with his father as a blacksmith, working as a baker and helping his grandfather as a stone mason.
In 1952, at the age of 19, Gino left Italy to come to Australia on the ship Castel Bianco. Once in Australia, he was sent to Greta Migrant camp in N.S.W. Finding work in Australia proved to be more difficult than expected, however Gino again, took any work he could. This included working as an airport gardener and cutting sugar cane in Babinda, far north Queensland. After just three weeks, Gino contracted Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection from rats living in the sugar cane and was unable to cut cane again.
Carmel Corsini (nee Musumeci)
Carmel was born on the 30th of December, 1934 in Innisfail, Queensland. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants from Sicily. After completing her schooling in Moresby, she worked as a seamstress and an assistant at her brother’s pharmacy in Mareeba.
Gino and Carmel Marry
It was in 1953 that Gino moved on to Mareeba, where he share-farmed tobacco for 5 years. In 1957, he met his wife to be, Carmel Musumeci at a local dance. Carmel was born in Australia and spoke English and Sicilian, with Gino speaking the Northern Florentine dialect. Carmel’s parents also had an initial bias about ‘Northerners’. Despite these challenges, Gino and Carmel got married in September 1958. Gino’s parents were share-farming and requested Gino’s assistance, so he and Carmel moved to Myrtleford Northeast Victoria. In 1959 Gino and Carmel bought a Fish and Chip Shop in Wangaratta, Victoria.
Corsini Family
Their first daughter, Janene, was born in 1963. A year later they sold the fish and chip shop and went back to tobacco farming in Mareeba. This crop was wiped out by hail, so they returned to Porepunkah, Victoria however, their tobacco crop was also lost here due to drought conditions. In 1965 they moved to Eurobin, Victoria, and share-farmed tobacco for 4 years. It was late in 1965 that their second child Peter was born.
In 1969 they bought their King Valley property. They grew tobacco up until 1994. In 1970 their third child, Franco was born before the birth of their fourth child, Linda, in 1974.
Gino and son Peter plant the first vines
In 1980, Peter, the eldest son was now working on the farm with Gino. Local winery, Brown Brothers of Milawa, approached Gino, Carmel and Peter to become contract growers. This was the beginning of the Corsini Vineyard. Gino continued his family tradition of making his own wine for family and friends. Over the next few years, the quantity of tobacco grown on the property lessened and the vineyard increased in size.
In 1992, Gino and Carmel’s eldest daughter got married and insisted that her dad’s wine was to be served at the reception. From that day, people asked if they could buy Gino’s Vino. (Gino’s wine). It was in 1993 that they decided to no longer grow tobacco.
Labelling the wine La Cantina King Valley
(La Cantina meaning ‘The Cellar’ in Italian)
In 1995, Gino and Carmel decided to establish La Cantina King Valley. Sales started increasing and it was in 1997 that they decided to build a cellar door. It was to be a traditional Tuscan style building made from stone.
Building the Cellar Door
Building the cellar door was not an easy job. The stones were laid like a large jigsaw making sure that small and large rocks were well dispersed. The walls are 500mm thick and some of the rocks span this distance.
The counter and wine storage boxes were added to our cellar door in later years using recycled timber from a single red gum tree off Gino’s father’s property in King Valley.
La Cantina King Valley Today
La Cantina continues to grow as a business but remains firmly aligned with the family traditions it began with and is still solely run by the Corsini family. After Carmel’s passing in 2003, Gino carried the business forward with the same quiet determination that defined his life. Well into his late eighties — even approaching 90 — he was still pruning, checking baumé levels, and packing wine, never losing his connection to the vineyard. Gino sadly passed away in 2023 at the age of 91.
Today, the business remains entirely family owned and operated. Peter is now head winemaker, with his siblings and extended family contributing in a variety of capacities. In recent years, the third generation of the Corsini family has joined the fold, with Reuben returning as a winemaker and other grandchildren involved in roles of varying responsibility.
The grapes continue to be grown exclusively on the estate, and all winemaking processes are completed at the King Valley property. This creates an ideal position where the winemaker is also deeply involved in growing the grapes, ensuring the quality of the fruit mirrors what is required for our delicious wines.