The Hand-Crafted Sticky Wines of Australia’s Rutherglen Wine Region
Rutherglen is a wine and region of its own. For those who are not familiar, Rutherglen is a classic, legacy Australian wine. Since the 19th century, a small group of determined producers has been making this fortified dessert wine in the harsh, continental climate of North Central Victoria. Everything you want in a wine region is here: a unique and distinctive style, generational winemaking, and an honest, incredibly tenacious community of winemakers determined to show the world the beauty that they craft. Take one look at Rutherglen winemaker Steve Chambers’ hands, and they’ll tell you everything you need to know about the fortitude and hands-on work of this incredible wine region.
What makes Rutherglen Muscat so distinctive? Beginning with harvest, Brown Muscat (Muscat à Petits Grains Rouge) is left on the vine where it hangs late into the season, shriveling and concentrating its sugars. Once picked and pressed, the fermentation is halted through fortification, a process where neutral grain spirit is added to the must and the yeasts die off before all the sugar is converted into alcohol. The result is a fortified wine around 20% ABV, that contains considerable residual sugar and Muscat’s intense aromatic profile.
Next, the wines are barreled and incorporated into a complex tiered system of casks, where the oldest casks are topped up with wine from the previous oldest year, layering aged wine on aged wine, over and over. This method allows younger wine to gradually inherit the qualities of the older, more mature wine, promoting increased complexity and depth of flavor.
Finally, the wines are blended into four different categories with minimum age specifications:
Rutherglen (2-5 years)
Classic (5-10 years)
Grand (15-20 years)
Rare (20+ years)
Despite these minimum requirements, it turns out most producers use dramatically older stock for each of these styles, with some vats dating back to the 1890s. There is no other wine like this on the planet, and they are profound, extraordinarily well-made, and delicious.
So why are these wines flying completely under the radar of wine enthusiasts here in the U.S.?
The issue is that sweeter wine styles have fallen out of favor in the current market, which has left traditional winemaking regions like Rutherglen struggling to engage the interest of wine drinkers. And whereas we’ve seen dessert wine regions like Sauternes pivoting to dry styles, Victoria doesn’t have the climate to produce Muscat that can stand alone as a dry wine. Many are now experimenting with varieties that fare well during the hot summer days like Petite Sirah, Teroldego, and Marsanne, but, in my opinion, these wines have a long way to go before they are ready to be competitive in the global wine scene.
Nonetheless, there is absolutely a case to be made for Rutherglen Muscat. I spent an afternoon at Chambers of Rutherglen with an all-star representation of the best producers in the region. We tasted each producer’s wines ranging from Rutherglen all the way to the Rare level. Not only did each producer have a signature style, each of the four levels dramatically stepped up the quality with each age statement.
The entry-level Rutherglen designation has beautiful lightness, with delicious butterscotch and mandarin flavors. The Classics show more viscosity and concentration with butterscotch shifting to toffee and hints of tertiary mushroom. The Grand is where the magic really starts to happen, with an interplay of hazelnut, chocolate, and truffle above a powerful richness and weight. Finally, the Rare are the epitome of the style, incredible concentration, complexity of flavor, and a history that can come from nowhere else.
For anyone that loves dessert wine or needs a classic pairing for the end of a dinner party meal, I wholeheartedly recommend you check out Rutherglen Muscat. We currently have two in stock. All Saints Estate Rutherglen Muscat (375ml) $19.99 JH95 is a steal for under $20 and is the perfect starting point if you are curious about the style. Additionally, we have the Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Muscat Rutherglen (375ml) $19.99 RP90 from Steve Chambers, one of Rutherglen’s winemaking legends. I hope I’ve piqued your curiosity enough to try these incredible wines—there’s nothing else like them anywhere.