We love Rutherglen. The people of the region are so wonderful, the cellar doors are unpretentious and well staffed, and the wines are some of Victoria’s best. It is one of Australia’s most under-recognised wine regions, and that’s good for you the wine enthusiast because getting around is easy, and most of the wineries are genuinely glad you’ve come in the first place.
One of the best ways to quickly explore Rutherglen is via the Winemakers of Rutherglen‘s Tastes of Rutherglen event each March. We recently attended the one a couple months ago. Following were the stand-outs from this trip and we are confident to say they represent the pinnacle of what this amazing wine region can achieve.
* Campbells Wines – With a five generations of winemaking history, Campbells today boasts the broadest range of reliably good wines at exceptional prices in the region, if not Australia. It is one of those very few places that can produce 7 or 8 varietals exceptionally well. At $23, their 2016 Bobbie Burns Shiraz is a gorgeously balanced expression of how well Rutherglen does with this grape. The 2010 Cab Sav is mind-blowingly delicious and alive, and only $31 at that.
* Warrabilla Wines – Alongside Campbells, Warrabilla is probably our favourite winery in the region. They were well ahead of the curve and we find it funny now that so much of the wine industry that shunned the big fruit style has run to embrace it in the past couple years. Even so, few if any have reached Warrabilla’s level of mastery. These are big, fruit expressive wines. Stunning clarity in how the fruit sings through. Produced only in the best vintages, the Parola’s Limited Release line are some of the best wines in Australia, period.
* All Saints Estate Wine – Easily the flashiest cellar door in Rutherglen (it’s built into the huge castle that the founders of All Saints erected in the 1800s), All Saints also produces some of the region’s most serious wines. Take their masterpiece sparkling Shiraz. It’s a wine so deep and complex, the most advanced wineophile couldn’t help but appreciate this achievement. Or their glorious Bordeaux Blend, “Pierre”, a brooding and punchy wine … And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. An A+ line up.
* Chambers Rosewood Winery – Chambers is one of the two best fortified houses in the region that produces Australia’s most sublime fortifieds. Literally, you can taste the pinnacle of Australia’s fortified wines right here. And if that weren’t incredible enough, these wines are offered at extraordinary prices considering they sit in the top 0.001% of their category. $25 for their Old Vine Muscat? We bought a case. And when you visit, you’ll understand how all of this came to be. Run by the same kind family for 161 years, Chambers is as friendly and unpretentious a place as you’ll find wine hunting. Truly a magical stop. Show a little genuine interest, and you can probably get one of the family members to show you around the winery.
* Morris Wines – Alongside Chambers, the greatest producer of fortified wines in Australia! Morris’ cellar door is of the splashier in the region, but the staff are warm, friendy, and informative. The Classic Tawny (unlike so many AUS “tawnies”, this has the bramble and breadth of a true tawny) and the Old Premium Rare Topaque (Good God! Layer after layer of amazing cinammon, brioche, violet, and raisin… the universe in a drop!) are show-stoppers. In addition to their world-famous fortifieds, Morris has developed a small range of regular wines that are well worth checking out all on their own.
Finally, even though we did not make it to them on our most recent visit, no discussion of Rutherglen would be complete without mention of John Gehrig Wines and Anderson Winery. These two wineries are two of the most innovative in the region and craft some of Rutherglen’s most serious wines.
Do yourself a favour and go visit Rutherglen! You’ll be so glad you did.
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