Rutherglen Wine Region

The Rutherglen Wine Region in North East Victoria has achieved iconic status with its fortified wines. It has also been associated with big long-lived red wines, a style that has gone out of fashion.

Many wineries around in this wine region have been in the same family for several generations and are housed in historic gold era buildings that provide an appropriate setting to taste the venerable wines. The winery buildings at All Saints, Gehrig Estate, Mount Prior and Pfiefer are well worth visiting for their architectural interest, quite apart from the superb table and fortified wines.

The region is centred around the town of Rutherglen and is bounded on the north by the Murray River. Other towns within the region include Wahgunyah and Chiltern, and immediately across the river in New South Wales is the substantial town of Corowa. See map of the region and wineries.

The wine industry was established in the middle of the nineteenth century. Unlike many other Victorian wine regions, Rutherglen escaped the Phylloxera pest, and was able to survive the fall in popularity of table wines by developing a specialty in fortified wine.

These wines are undoubtedly of world class quality. The ports and sherries match it with all but the best of the Iberian wines of those styles. But the region's unique gifts to the world are the muscats and tokays which have no equal.

The 'Tokay' that winelovers have come to know and love over the decades is made from the Muscadelle grape. But the name Tokay is derived from a region in Hugary which makes a different style of wine called Tojkaji. Australian Tokays will thus have to be renamed, maybe as something less appealing as Fortified Muscadelle.

The warmish climate means that many of the mainstream winegrape varieties are commonly grown. Among alternative varieties Durif has long been popular in this region. It is used for port style fortified wines, dry red table wines, and in recent years for sparkling reds.

As the big, robust and highly tannic red wines characteristic of Rutherglen have become less popular a few wineries have begun making sparkling red wines. This style has not attracted universal approval, but it certainly has its enthusiasts.

Some Rutherglen Region wineries that are using alternative varieties include

• All Saints Estate Chenin blanc, Durif, Marsanne, Muscadelle, Orange muscat, Roussanne, Ruby Cabernet, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
• Anderson Winery Chenin blanc, Durif, Muscadelle, Petit verdot, Pinot gris, Sangiovese, Saperavi, Tempranillo, Viognier
• Bullers Calliope Durif, Marsanne, Mondeuse, Muscadelle, Tempranillo, Vermentino
• Calico Town Trebbiano
• Campbells Wines Durif, Malbec, Muscadelle, Pedro Ximenez, Roussanne, Ruby Cabernet, Trebbiano, Viognier
• Chambers Rosewood Cinsaut, Gouais blanc, Mondeuse, Muscadelle, Palomino, Roussanne
• Cofield Wines Cabernet franc, Chenin blanc, Durif, Gamay, Malbec, Marsanne, Muscadelle, Sangiovese
• Drinkmoor Wines Durif, Chenin blanc, Petit verdot
• Gehrig Estate Durif, Muscadelle
• Jones Winery and Vineyard Marsanne, Pedro Ximenez, Roussanne
• Lake Moodemere Biancone, Cinsaut, Durif
• Lilliput Wines Petit verdot, Viognier
• Morris Cinsaut, Durif, Muscadelle
• Mount Prior Durif, Muscadelle
• Murdering Hut Creek Vermentino
• Pfeiffer Wines Gamay, Marsanne, Muscadelle, Tempranillo
• Platt's Gewurztraminer
• Rutherglen Estates Arneis, Durif, Fiano, Grenache, Marsanne, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Viognier, Zinfandel
• Scion Vineyard Durif, Grenache, Orange muscat, Viognier
• St Leonards Cabernet franc, Chenin blanc, Orange muscat, Viognier
• Stanton and Killeen Wines Durif, Muscadelle, Souzao, Tempranillo, Tinto Cao, Touriga, Viognier
• Trahna Rutherglen Wines Durif, Petit verdot, Tempranillo, Viognier
• Valhalla Wines Durif, Grenache, Marsanne, Mourvedre, Viognier
• Vintara Cinsaut, Dolcetto, Durif, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petit verdot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Viognier
• Warrabilla Wines Durif, Marsanne
• Watchbox Wines Durif, Sangiovese, Tempranillo

A reader's story about a weekend in in this region, you can read it comment on it or send in your own.

Christobelle Anderson of Anderson Winery reports on the difficult 2007 vintage in this region

Dan Crane is winemaker at All Saints Winery and St Leonards Winery. In this article he describes how he softens the tannins in Rutherglen Durif by using a longer period of maceration.