Schioppettino wins Wine of Provenance trophy

By Alex Mitchell

Billy Button “The Surreptitious” Schioppettino has won the Wine of Provenance Trophy at the North East Victorian Wine Challenge (NEVWC) held in November 2025. The show champions the wines from the five regions that make up the North East wine zone. The geographical indications (Gis) represented are: Alpine Valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley and Rutherglen, as well as vineyards that are within the boundaries of the zone but fall outside the distinct GIs . A diverse range of climates and micro-climates, but also a cohesive, supportive and cheerfully competitive group of wine growers and makers. The show was established in 2012 and apart from the inevitable Covid hiccough has gone from strength to strength.

The Wine of Provenance Trophy is unique in that the maker is required to show the same wine over three different vintages spanning a decade. The wine must be the same variety under the same label and demonstrate clear evidence of both the terroir and the varietal characteristics, as well as the ageing potential of the wine. It’s story. It’s developmental arc as vignerons and winemakers come to know the vineyard and the grape. Billy Button showed the 2015, 2021 and 2024 vintages of Schioppettino. This trio won the coveted trophy from over 20 entries across the GIs of the North East zone. Only small amounts of this rare Italian variety are made. The grapes are from the Greenacres vineyard at Merriang South in the Alpine Valleys. The current release is the 2024 which was so small that it was restricted to wine club members only is already sold out!

Billy Button had further success in the Wines of Provenance classes with Chardonnay (2015, 2021 and 2024) and Vermentino (2015, 2021 and 2024) also claiming gold medals.

The Wine of Provenance class demonstrates the importance of any brand maintaining “museum” stock – holding back some bottles from each vintage so that over time comparisons can be made and lessons learned. The Billy Button Wine Club has a special section for those interested in the development of wines called the Museum Wine Club and a Museum online shop. And next time you swing by cellar door ask what older wines may be behind the counter for purchase or a sneak peek.

But the trophies did not stop there,  with the 2024 Billy Button “The Rustic” Sangiovese also being awarded Top Gold and taking out the Best Alternative Red trophy and the Best Alpine Valleys Wine trophy. Straight to the pool room. The 2023 Billy Button ‘The Elusive’ Nebbiolo also won Top Gold in its class along with gold medals being awarded to the 2024 Billy Button ‘The Renegade’ Refosco, the 2024 Billy Button ‘The Alluring’ Tempranillo and the 2025 Billy Button ‘The Honest’ Fiano. Not a bad haul for a small producer!

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