Vine Guide: Rutherglen edition
Rutherglen on your radar? It should be. These Victorian producers are steering their region’s history, charm and tradition into the future in the most delicious ways.
Steeped in history. Family-owned wineries. Bold reds. Fortified wines. At first glance, you might think you know what Rutherglen is about, but this Victorian wine region is full of surprises. It’s true there are fifth, sixth and even seventh generations carrying on their family wine legacies here, but they’re also driving them well into the future in exciting new ways. Together with a new generation of producers putting down roots across the region, Rutherglen is turning out seriously good wines and top winery experiences – your hitlist of wine-region road trips just got even longer.
Nestled in Victorian High Country, Rutherglen is a four-hour drive from Melbourne, or six hours from Sydney. Its winemaking history dates back more than 160 years, making it one of Australia’s oldest wine regions. It all kicked off in the 1850s, coinciding with the gold rush, and Rutherglen fast became a dynamic wine hub. The region has continued to produce quality wine over this time, having built a name for itself with its spectacular fortifieds – a tradition that continues today – along with its big reds. This is largely due to Rutherglen’s embrace of the durif grape variety, which produces bold and tannic red wines. But there’s so much more to this region.
Today, you can find a huge choice of wines in Rutherglen, from aromatic to richer whites, full-flavoured reds across a range of varieties, and those deservedly famous fortified wines. This is a region that continues to adapt and evolve, while bringing all their proud tradition and history along for the ride. And it’s all reflected in Rutherglen’s distinctive and diverse wines.
Indigenous name: Yorta Yorta Country
Elevation: 122-592m
Total vine area: 781 ha
Average amount of wine produced: 2645 tonnes
Soil: Various, from red loam over clay to sandier soils
Climate: Classic Continental, with warm summer days and cool nights
Mean temperature: 23.7 degrees
Average growing season rainfall: 330mm
White grapes: 20%
Red grapes: 80%
Shiraz 43%
Durif 16%
Muscat a Petit Grains Rouges 8%
Muscat a Petit Grains Blanc 7%
Cabernet sauvignon 5%
- Rutherglen is part of Yorta Yorta Country, with the wine region sitting specifically on Bangerang Country.
- Rutherglen became the first Australian wine region to win international awards at wine shows in Vienna and London – way back in 1873.
- In 1967, Rutherglen was one of the first regions to hold its own festival, now known as the annual Roam Rutherglen Winery Walkabout.
When it comes to Rutherglen, you can’t go past its fortified wines. If you’re yet to sample one of the region’s renowned rich, syrupy muscats, topaques or tawnies, you’re in for a huge treat. These are the more recently adopted Aussie names for these fortifieds, by the way – topaque replacing tokay, and tawny replacing port, with the original names now restricted to use in their native Hungary and Portugal respectively, just like Champagne is in France.
These historic wines are rare, and Rutherglen’s producers have been making them since their wine industry’s beginning. Aged parcels of these special wines, along with master-blending insights and skills, have been passed down for generations, and the resulting fortifieds remain intense, complex true benchmarks today. Muscat of Rutherglen even has its own official classification system, spanning Rutherglen (aged three to five years), Classic (aged six to 10 years), Grand (aged 11 to 19 years) and Rare (aged more than 20 years). All are delicious.
When it comes to table wines, durif plays a major role in the region, with its trademark deep, brooding characters including red and black fruit flavours, dark chocolate, leather and spice. Durif often has very firm tannins, so it can also age for decades. If you love big reds, this is your happy place. Shiraz also features largely across the region – expect rich, powerful styles full of dark fruit and licorice flavours colliding with black pepper and spice.
Beyond the classic, Rutherglen turns out a range of other quality styles, from chardonnay to malbec, and newer varieties are making themselves right at home. These include the richer whites of fiano, arneis and savagnin, among others, as well as cinsault, tempranillo and tinta barroca in the reds. They all enjoy the region’s Continental climate, which brings warm summer days that help to ripen these grapes that thrive in similar European conditions.
Among the pinnacle Rutherglen producers is Morris Wines. The Morris family behind this winery has been at the forefront of the region’s fortified wines for a long time. In fact, it was already the largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere back in 1885. These days, the winery also produces a range of premium table wines, but fortifieds continue to take pride of place in their collection. Morris muscats in particular have won just about every wine show trophy they’re eligible to win, and these wines – spanning entry-level to top-tier styles – offer exceptional value.
They’re not the only producers flying the fortified flag. Others such as Buller Wines, All Saints and Stanton & Killeen (pictured) continue to put their fortified wines front and centre, from muscat and topaque styles to tawny, apera (AKA sherry in Spain) and more. But don’t forget to look at their table wines, too – all three producers make excellent expressions of the region.
Rutherglen may be full of history and tradition, but a new wave of producers – and generations – is taking charge. Whether that’s wine bars popping up in the heart of town that champion the local wines and produce, cellar doors becoming dining destinations or wineries playing with emerging varieties, this is one busy region.
Despite a long family history in the local wine industry, Cofield Wines is comparatively young compared to others in Rutherglen, having been established in 1990. With the second generation now in charge, they focus on sparkling wines, but also make other red, white and fortified styles that are worth a look – their Sparkling Shiraz is great if you’re into something a little different.
Pfeiffer Wines is another great example of family at play, with a father-daughter winemaking team behind the broad-ranging collection. Chris and Jen Pfeiffer make everything from riesling, vermentino, a “funky” pinot grigio and frontignac to gamay, pinot noir, cab sauv and durif. If you ever call in to the Pfeiffer Wines cellar door, be sure to grab one of their picnic hampers and settle into a shady riverside spot on their property – it’s the complete Rutherglen experience.
Over at Chambers Rosewood, the sixth generation is behind the wheel, with the winery long celebrated for its fortified wines, especially those made from muscat and muscadelle. But there’s plenty more to explore across their red and white wines – keep an eye out for their bright Roussanne.
St Leonards is another producer to watch, thanks to siblings Eliza, Angela and Nick Brown who are related to the pioneering family behind Brown Brothers. Here, the impressive trio has a range of wine highlights, including their reds such as shiraz and cabernet franc, and they also produce pinnacle fortifieds and other wines at sister winery All Saints. Plus, they are behind Rutherglen’s Thousand Pound Wine Bar & Store – another must when you’re passing through town.
