Oh how we love Rutherglen! It must be Victoria’s best kept wine secret, its most underrated wine region. Two specific features make Rutherglen so special to us.
First, the region boasts a unique ability to produce an exceptionally wide variety of great wines, from Gewurztraminer and Roussanne to Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, and of course Durif and Shiraz among many others. The only comparable region we can think of with the ability to produce so many varietals at such a high standard would be the world famous McLaren Vale.
Second, Rutherglen is one of Australia’s friendliest wine regions. Nestled around a small rural town, the cellar doors here are often staffed by the winemaker and/or his/her family. When you walk through the doors, they are genuinely happy to see you. The vistor’s most casual interest in wine is met with an eagerness by these good wine folk to share their stories and their passion for producing their wines. It is a wine geek’s paradise (and a good place to learn for you winemakers and vignerons just starting out! We certainly took some notes 🙂
Do yourself a favour and visit Rutherglen. When you do, here are four of our favourite stops.
* Warrabilla Wines offers one of the best wine tasting experiences and some of the most expressive wines to be found in Australia. Legendary winemaker Andrew Sutherland Smith has cracked the magic formula! He regularly produces some of the most sterling fruit expressions for many of his varietals (think Shiraz, Durif & Grenache) that we have ever found. These are satisfying, engaging wines that tell the full stories of their constituent fruits and vintage of birth. We can pretty much guarantee you have never heard Shiraz sing the way it does in a Warrabilla bottle.
* Olive Hills Estate may be a newer entrant (only 20 years!) on the Rutherglen scene, but is already crafting some of the region’s purest and most clinically perfect wines. These are velvety smooth wines, elegantly structured with complex flavours! Specifically, the Durif and Bordeaux blends are mind-blowingly good. In addition to the fantastic wines, proprietor Ross Perry offers an awesome wine tasting experience. Ross is warm and engaging, and his dream of Olive Hills, which he is actualising, inspires. All of this perched in one of Rutherglen’s most idyllic settings – you can’t go wrong with a visit to Olive Hills.
* Chambers Rosewood has long been one of our favourite fortified houses in Australia – clearly in the nation’s top five, and most decades a contender for #1. If you don’t believe us, you can consult the world’s top wine critics, such as James Suckling and James Halliday. These fortifieds are just so good. If you’ve never understood “sticky” wines, a visit here will quickly educate you on just how complex and serious these wines can be. And best of all, they still come with price tags the average punter can afford. Cheers to Chambers Rosewood!
* If you could only make one stop in Rutherglen and wanted to understand the breadth of what the region can achieve, Campbells Wines would have to be the place. With one of the most extensive wine lists you’ll ever see, what makes Campbells singular compared to every other place we’ve seen such wide lists is the remarkably high level of quality throughout their wines. Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Durif, Portuguese varietals, Shiraz, Cabernet, Malbec, fortifieds – check, check, check, yum, yum, yum! Amazing wines, friendly service, fair prices …. visit Campbells!
Magical little wine regions and the people who craft their experiences are #WhyWeLoveWine
Follow along with all our adventures at facebook.com/winehuntersaus
Previous
Next