Sunset over the Jones Winery vineyards

Farmers around Australia are struggling to pass the fruits of their labour onto successive generations thanks to factors such as drought, spiralling costs and, dare I say it, disinterest. Not so in Rutherglen, where sixth and seventh generations are taking over the family businesses.

For more than 150 years, winemaking families have been toiling over vineyards in a region that is blessed with cool nights, warm days, and long, dry autumns — ideal conditions for producing pioneering varietals. More than anything, though, Rutherglen is famed for producing world-best fortified wines.

In particular, the Victorian town of just 2000 residents is known for producing muscats that can’t be reproduced elsewhere. Why? Because of the artisanal knowledge that has been passed down through generations of family winemakers.

From once being viewed as a drink found at the back of your grandmother’s cupboard, Rutherglen muscat is undergoing a resurgence in popularity, fuelled by younger palates seeking sweet-tasting alternatives and progressive winemakers who are able to satiate that demand.

All Saints Cellar Door in the Great Hall

But muscat isn’t the only shining star here; Rutherglen is also known for producing big, bold reds like shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, and Durif. Not only that, but many of Rutherglen’s 19 wineries, who have formed a peer-based cooperative known as the Winemakers of Rutherglen, are growing little-known grape varietals from Portugal, Italy or the former Soviet state of Georgia, near the Black Sea. Saperavi, Aneis, Fiano, Arinto, Correll — none have traditionally graced the tables of family gatherings here, though that’s likely to change over the coming years as young, well-travelled Australians with minimal links to our ocker past embrace new tastes from around the world.

Rutherglen ranks as one of the easiest wine regions to visit due to the wineries’ proximity to each other. Then there’s its flat terrain, which makes touring the wineries by bicycle a viable option. But Rutherglen’s history as a winemaking region, and how that heritage is on show through the preservation of musty old wine cellars and barrel rooms, is what has always appealed most to me.

There are plenty of stories to tell in these parts. And the people who own the wineries run them, just like generations of family winemakers before them.

Main Street, Rutherglen

ALL SAINTS ESTATE

Few cellar doors in Australia would be deemed fit for a queen, but this one is. When All Saints was constructed by Scottish immigrants in 1864, the heritage-listed fortification was modelled on the Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey in the north of Scotland — turrets, towers, and all. It’s as impressive as a winery gets in Australia. The Great Hall is lined with 100-year-old wine casks filled with rare Tokays and muscats.

Know: Owner Nick Brown was one of the stars on the original Farmer Wants a Wife TV series.

Try: Bonnie, the new casual eatery with views across the gardens.

Web: allsaintswine.com.au

Gin tasting at Buller Wines

ANDERSON WINERY

Howard Anderson established Anderson winery in 1993, after a 15-year stint at Seppelt Great Western, where making sparkling wines — red and white — became a passion. After cutting her teeth in France, daughter Christobelle joined the business in 2005. All vineyards are unirrigated in order to produce wines with more flavour and better structure, and all grapes grown are used to produce Anderson wines.

Know: Anderson wines use minimal preservatives, following organic principles.

Try: 2017 Verrier Saperavi, a grape variety originally from the Georgian wine growing region of Kakheti.

Web: andersonwinery.com.au

Campbells Wines

ANDREW BULLER WINES

Though this winery is young in comparison to its peers, having opened in 2015, Andrew Buller is a third generation winemaker from a family with a long history in the region. He has also plied his trade in Portugal, France, New Zealand and South Australia’s Clare Valley.

Know: Among Andrew’s accolades are two perfect scores from American Wine Advocate writer Robert Parker Junior for his Rare Muscat and Rare Tokay.

Try: 2019 Canobie Durif.

Web: andrewbullerwines.com.au

Campbells is one of Rutherglen’s original muscat producers

CAMPBELLS OF RUTHERGLEN

The Campbells story at Rutherglen began in 1870. Youngest daughter and fifth-generation winemaker, Julie Campbell, inherited her passion and drive for the wine industry from her father, Colin. Quality over quantity is the aim here. Campbells is one of Rutherglen’s original muscat and Topaque producers. Children are welcome; a range of activities has been designed to keep them amused.

Know: Campbells is Rutherglen’s only member of Australia’s First Families of Wine, a group of 10 family-owned, multi-generational wineries from around the nation.

Try: The Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat.

Web: campbellswines.com.au

Campbells Wines cellar door tasting

BULLER WINES

By far, the biggest winery in or around Rutherglen is Buller Wines, which produces more muscat than every other Rutherglen winery combined. Its first vines, planted in 1921, are used to source grapes for the winery’s Calliope range. The Pavilion Restaurant, opened in 2016, was constructed using recycled materials. The winery hosts rock concerts and exhibits artworks. Try the five-hour Gin Distillation master class, where you get to take home a 700ml bottle of your own custom-crafted gin.

Know: Buller’s flagship label, Calliope, was named after a ship that survived a hurricane in Samoa in 1889.

Try: 1928 Block Shiraz.

Web: bullerwines.com.au

Eldest daughter Jane Campbell from Campbells Wines

CHAMBERS ROSEWOOD VINEYARDS

The oldest winery in the region has been family-owned and operated since 1858. Stephen Chambers currently operates the winery, ably supported by his father Bill, a Rutherglen legend known for making some of the best fortified wines in the world.

Know: In 2020, Wine & Spirits Magazine listed Chambers Rosewood as one of only four Australian wineries in their World’s Top 100 Wineries list.

Try: Rutherglen Grand Muscadelle.

Web: chambersrosewood.com.au

Cofield Wines cellar door tasting

COFIELD WINES

Established in 1990, this is one of Rutherglen’s newest wineries and its modern facilities reflect that relatively recent heritage. Damien Cofield is a second-generation winemaker, specialising in sparkling wines made using the Méthode Traditionnelle process from the Champagne region of France.

Know: Motorhome owners can stay overnight in the car park.

Try: 2021 Sangiovese.

Web: cofieldwines.com.au

DE BORTOLI RUTHERGLEN ESTATE

Unlike other wineries in Rutherglen, De Bortoli is located in town, in buildings that date back to 1886. The complex boasts an à la carte restaurant, outdoor courtyard, luxury accommodation, and conference facilities. Its wines are a mix of local heroes, muscat and Durif, as well as little-known Mediterranean varietals.

Know: RV owners can stay overnight in the car park.

Try: De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate Fiano.

Web: debortoli.com.au

De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate winery

JOHN GEHRIG WINES

Ross Gehrig certainly has a way with words. He equates Durif to a rugby prop with cauliflower ears, no neck, and zero manners, knocking everyone over. A shiraz, on the other hand, is a more considered second rower who is still enormous but will sit down and watch the news and be able to understand it. Ross is a fifth-generation winemaker who purchased this property — his father’s birthplace — in 2011, complete with historic buildings and ruins (including a schoolhouse). The cellar door is inside a rustic wine shed.

Know: If you love a small winery with loads of history, this one is for you.

Try: 2016 RG cabernet sauvignon.

Web: johngehrigwines.com.au

Confit duck leg at Tuileries restaurant, De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate winery

JONES WINERY

The ceiling inside the cellar door here is made from stringy bark tiles dating back to 1860; they don’t come much older than that. Mandy Jones’ grandfather purchased the property in 1927. “We think it’s God’s own country,” she says. Book a table in the restaurant. Chef Briony Bradford, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, has a passion for pairing food with wine.

Know: Come here and you may be drinking wine from vines that were planted in 1905.

Try: 2019 LJ (Shiraz Grenache). “It’s better than Grange,” says Mandy.

Web: joneswinery.com.au

Belinda and Michael Chambers outside their Lake Moodemere Estate homestead

LAKE MOODEMERE ESTATE

Michael Chambers’ family has lived in the Rutherglen region since 1858. The sixthgeneration vigneron produces predominantly table wines from a single vineyard, where vines have grown since 1886. The original family homestead, now a restaurant and cellar door, overlooks the picturesque Lake Moodemere, an ox bow lake alongside the Murray River.

Know: Michael Chambers gets his hands dirty tending to the vineyard, unlike most winemakers.

Try: Tara 2019 Grenache Blanc & Muscat. It’s light enough to drink over breakfast.

Web: moodemerewines.com.au

Jones Winery and Restaurant

MORRIS WINES

With more than 160 years of family winemaking in the area, it should come as no surprise to learn that David Morris is one of Australia’s most awarded winemakers, primarily for his fortifieds and big reds. The Robin Boyd-designed, atrium-style cellar door was opened in 1972 by travel industry legend, Bill Peach.

Know: In 2018, Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat was classed ‘Best Muscat in the World’ at the Muscat du Monde wine competition in France.

Try: Sparkling Shiraz Durif.

Web: morriswines.com

OLIVE HILLS ESTATE

The grand homestead and sweeping vineyards at Olive Hills Estate were built and developed by a Scottish immigrant in 1886. Today, you can visit the cellar door in the original cellars. Now under the care of the Perry family, tonnage and yields on their non-irrigated vines are low, resulting to intense, full-flavoured wines.

Know: The Perry children also own and operate the excellent Valentines Artisan Sourdough Bakers, with branches in Rutherglen, Albury, and Wodonga.

Try: 2018 du Cluse — a blend of 12 grape varieties.

Web: olivehills.com.au

Pfeiffer Wines cellar door

PFEIFFER WINES

Even if you don’t drink wine, it’s still worth coming to this winery. The cellar door and tasting room are housed inside what looks and feels like a homely, ramshackle tin and timber shed, while sharing a picnic on the Sunday Creek bridge beneath 100-year-old pine trees is a favourite pastime.

Know: Pfeiffer is one of just six Rutherglen winemakers producing the full four styles of Rutherglen muscat.

Try: The True Muscat Experience, siphoning muscat from 100-year-old barrels using a wine thief, then blending and bottling your own to take home.

Web: pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au

Wendy Killeen from Stanton & Killeen

SCION

Scion’s Rowly Milhinch looks more like a Northcote barista than a Rutherglen winemaker. But he thinks outside the box too, encouraging drinkers to experiment with their mixes. The cellar door resembles a groovy cocktail bar, reflecting Rowly’s cavalier approach to winemaking.

Know: Rowly is a self-taught winemaker, though his family’s Rutherglen winemaking heritage goes back more than 100 years.

Try: Muscat X, a bridge between a wine and a spirit. Pour it over a single block of ice as a digestif.

Web: scionwine.com.au

Fresh goodies from Valentines Artisian Sourdough Bakers, Rutherglen

ST LEONARDS VINEYARD

The bucolic outlook here, across the vineyards to the Murray River, is one of the region’s best. Combine that with a winery that was established in 1860 and you get a rich sense of history mixed with tranquil views. St Leonards is run by siblings Nick, Eliza, and Angela Brown, who also own All Saints, the excellent Thousand Pound Wine Bar in town, and Mt Ophir Estate.

Know: St Leonards hosts live music concerts on the first Saturday each month.

Try: 21 St Leonards Vineyard Cabernet Franc.

Web: stleonardswine.com.au

STANTON & KILLEEN WINES

Directly across the road from Campbells is Stanton & Killeen, who grow 14 grape varieties, including Portuguese grapes that are able to withstand the summer heat while retaining acidity. Seven generations of family winemakers have occupied this property since the first vines were planted in 1864.

Know: The winery changed its name to Stanton & Killeen in 1968, acknowledging the shared history of the two families on the property.

Try: 2018 The Prince Iberian Blend.

Web: stantonandkilleen.com.au

Pfeiffer Wines visitors during their ‘True Muscat Experience’

VALHALLA WINES

Anton Therkildsen established Valhalla with environmental sustainability as a core value of his business. Valhalla embraces natural farming methods in the vineyard, harvests rainwater, and established a worm farm waste system, composting, and use of recycled packaging. At the time of writing, the straw bale cellar door was closed.

Know: The name Valhalla is a nod to Norse mythology and Therkildsen’s Danish heritage.

Try: 2018 The Ranga.

Web: valhallawines.com.au

WARRABILLA WINES

Andrew Sutherland Smith honed his winemaking skills at Yellowglen, Mildara, Stanley, and McWilliams before he planted his own vines in 1994. Despite his diverse employment history, he describes Rutherglen legend Bill Chambers as his greatest mentor. With his daughter Amy, the two create small batch wines from low yielding vines, ensuring maximum concentration of colour and flavour.

Know: Andrew Sutherland Smith’s family founded All Saints in 1864. They continued to make wine there until the 1990s.

Try: 2019 Single Vineyard Rutherglen Red.

Web: warrabillawines.com.au

Category: Destinations
Written: Sun 01 May 2022
Printed: May, 2022
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