John Ellis developed a love of fine wine in the 1960s, when he was flying for Pan American Airways. He remembers “the exquisite selection of First Growths” that he sampled in First Class when traveling as a passenger. “These gorgeous wines far exceeded the capacity of my purse in private life, but they did put me into frequent contact with some of the best of Bordeaux.”

In addition to his flying career John had always had an interest in agriculture, so “in order to retain an active interest, I followed several agricultural paths, one of which was planting a vineyard on Long Island, New York. This provided a complete change of pace and also an intellectual challenge”. He later moved into ornamental horticulture, growing plants as part of a landscape design business. John is still a member of the International Plant Propagators Society, in the Australian division.

John came to Australia after Pan Am ceased operating to fly for Qantas.

Exposure to Australian wines and a continuing love of the wines of Burgundy rekindled thoughts of a vineyard. A long period of research followed, involving temperature, rainfall and other issues of terroir. There were numerous trips to Burgundy to study viticulture and in particular quality issues, such as planting density, training methods, and crop load. John selected South Gippsland as his preferred area to grow and make Pinot Noir and eventually bought a farm at Berry’s Creek, just north of Leongatha. The vineyard site lies high on a spectacular north-facing slope of red basalt soil, with large natural terraces.

Established in 1998, Bellvale Wine is a family-owned business run by principal winemaker and viticulturalist, John Ellis. Situated in the lush Tarwin River valley of South Gippsland, the area is acknowledged as one of Australia’s best Pinot-Noir producing regions.

The name, Bellvale, is derived from the Ellis family’s rich agricultural heritage, which may be traced back to a farm in Nieuw Amsterdam (the New York area), in the late 1600s. The Bellvale label features two majestic oak trees that grace the centre of its vineyard.

John Ellis spent 50 years on Long Island, in south-east New York, before emigrating to Australia in the 1980s. His abiding passion for fine wine and viticulture stem from extensive free time spent in Europe during a 25-year career as a commercial pilot. To maintain his interest, John followed several agricultural paths during that time, including planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to supply the first vineyard in the Hamptons in the 1970s. Over time came many trips to Burgundy to hone his knowledge of traditional French winemaking methods and traditional viticulture.

The 2007 Pinot Noir, The Quercus Vineyard, was released last week. The James Halliday review from his last book, The Australian Wine Companion 2010 is as follows "Lively and bright; while the palate is light bodied it has excellent thrust and length, with spicy notes to its fragrence and fruits. Rating 94

2008 Bellvale Pinot Noir The Quercus Vineyard : a wine of good structure and balance with a palate of depth and power. The dark cherries and plums is accentuated by the beautiful "sous bois "aroma with accents of cloves.