Rich in colour and meaning

Tucked in the valley near Lake Nillahcootie is Krystallo Estate, a cool – climate haven in the heart of North Eastern Victoria, Australia. Jim and Maria Kakridas along with their children, realised a life-long dream – making this vineyard into their idyllic family – owned reality. The vineyard was previously called Nillacootie Estate which was rebranded ‘Krystallo Estate’.

The naming ‘Krystallo Estate’ evokes the family’s Greek heritage and their special location, in the High Country region of Victoria.

In the Greek language, ‘krystallo’ means ‘crystal’ and ‘chrysó’ means ‘gold’.

Sandwiched between the Strathbogie Ranges State Forest and Mount Samaria National Park is Lake Nillahcootie. The Strathbogie Ranges stretch to the north of Bonnie Doon and house gold mines that span from an open pit in Strathbogie to the granite hill tops called Golden Hill, an historical mining settlement on the granite ridge-top, overlooking Mansfield. The area also boasts the Crystal King quartz mine that was active around 1945.

‘Belitso’, this premium series of wines were named as a tribute to their beloved patriarch, Giorgios ‘Belitso’ Kakridas. True to the brand’s roots, this wine range also featured a few specific Greek grape varietals, not commonly cultivated in Australia, such as Malvasia and Kamari, introducing the old world to the new world.

The signature colour palette – pink and blue – was drawn from the lake’s name Nillahcootie which is said to derive from the Indian language meaning ‘blue house’ and the beautiful pink ‘Common Heath’ flowers, the flower symbol of Victoria, with accents of rich gold foil.

The ‘Belitso’ labels printed on white cotton stock, feature slices of heroic Greek statuary. ‘Herma’, Greek statuary were traditionally depictions of an ideal—beauty, piety, honour or sacrifice. The carved heroic head is intercut with foiled ‘Common Heath’ flowers, all placed on a crystalline grid background with slivers of gloss highlights.