– delectable wines steeped in history & tradition –
Rutherglen’s main claim to fame are its niche Australian fortified sticky wines. How could we not stop on our two week driving holiday through northern Victoria? We found ourselves in the area in mid-May 2021, having decided on a country Victoria road trip while COVID restrictions kept us home, and this was the perfect excuse for some downtime exploring the food and wine of the region.
I’d been looking forward to this day since we decided on this trip. Rutherglen occupies a special place in the Australian wine industry as the home of Australian fortified wines. Indeed the good folk of Rutherglen suggest that all other Aussie fortifieds refer back to their wines. I’d been meaning to get to know these wines a little better and also knowing that Daniela’s only alcoholic preference is for sweet wines, a visit to Rutherglen was meant to be.
We started bright and early and had breakfast at Valentine’s Bakehouse, an artisanal baker – they make a great coffee using their own roast called White Owl Coffee. We liked it so much that we went back later and bought a packet of beans to take home.
an iconic cellar door – morris wines
After our leisurely breakfast we headed off to what is probably the most famous of the wineries.
Morris Wines has been in continuous family operation since 1859. They’re no longer able to call their wines Port or Tokay due to Protected Designation rules in Europe, but their Old Premium Rare Liqueur Muscat and Topaque are iconic Australian wines with international recognition. These wines are of a style unique to Australia and a premiere example of fortified dessert wines or “stickies”. A little out of favour today – but long overdue for a resurgence!
Whilst you have to book for the cellar door, this is where the formality ends. We had a very relaxed wine tasting hosted by a lovely gentlemen who gave us great insights into fortified wine making and tasting. On arrival at the winery, the grapes are crushed and partially fermented before an alcoholic spirit is added which arrests the fermentation.
The wine is then transferred to oak casks and barrels to mature slowly . The hotter the cellar conditions, the better. Morris were happy if the cellar (think big tin sheds) are able to get to 35 degrees! Fortified wines thrive in these hot conditions. Perfect – if you plan to cart your wine purchases across country Victoria in your car boot for the next two weeks!
It was also interesting to taste wines aged for an average of 5 years in a bracket with wine having an average age of 25 plus years. The young wines show more alcohol and fruit whilst the old wines have lost the alcohol feel and are much more syrupy. We both agreed that the young wines were equally as worthy as the old and in fact preferred a 20 year old to a 25 plus…a personal preference.
The wines are super-sweet – as all good stickies should be, according to our resident sweet-tooth, Daniela – with raisin, toffee, butterscotch and caramel undertones. Needless to say, a number of bottles were bought and the boot had to be repacked to take the extra load…a process to be repeated at the next winery.
old but new… stanton and killeen winery
Our next stop was Stanton and Killeen founded in 1875 and now run by Wendy and daughter, Natasha Killen. They are known for their more modern and different approach to fortified wines. We had read that their winemaking methods resulted in more savoury, less sweet and sticky wines than the traditional approach. Not that either is good or bad but rather, different. And so it proved, their wines were indeed different with a more savoury character. Again, a number of bottles purchased and even more boot packing Tetris to fit it all in…where there’s a will there’s a way!
As a final nice aside, we had a close encounter with an Echidna on the way out. The international winemaking staff were thrilled as it shuffled across the cellar door. It was a thrill for us too, only our second “in the wild” sighting of an Echidna and he was in no rush to scurry away.
I deliberately limited our winery visits to two but there could have been many more. Thinking about it now, perhaps we should have tried a few more as we found that Rutherglen is otherwise a little limited for things to do. Had we planned things better, we would have also added the renowned Chambers & Rosewood cellar door to our itinerary, and we would probably have stopped for a leisurely lunch at our third winery stop – All Saints Estate.
the perfect spot for a leisurely lunch… and a bit of history
All Saints, also one of the oldest wineries in the region, has plenty on offer in addition to their wines. It’s set on a beautiful old estate.
The grounds are a lovely tranquil place to wander or picnic. There’s also a rose garden, old homestead and an opportunity to see the inside of a winery and learn more about the fermented wine process. Plus there are some great historic wine-related buildings to see.
Be sure to poke around in the nearly intact Chinese dormitory buildings occupied by their Chinese workers in the 1800’s.
Plus, there’s a nice restaurant and food outlet, Indigo Food Co, specialising in small scale farm to gate produce.
Thank goodness! Rutherglen has a limited night time restaurant scene so we decided to pick up some cheese and salumi for our dinner that night.
a quick visit to corowa
We had settled on Caffeine n Machine in town for lunch. It had a wonderful display of vintage cars and old motorcycles, including some very rare machines. They also hired eBikes for anyone interested in touring the area by bicycle. This was a missed opportunity – in hindsight it would have been great to bike around some of the wineries on the rail trail from Rutherglen to to Wahgunyah.
Instead of the bikes, we elected to drive to Corowa. Enroute, we discovered these abandoned buildings.
Presumably they’re wine vats. They’re beautifully intact, even though the estate and adjoining buildings appear to be dilapidated.
Corowa is a busy work-a- day country town, but not especially noteworthy. The main attraction in town is the old flour mill.
It now houses a whisky distillery, chocolate store and a small homewares outlet.
The distillery seemed popular with tour groups, but we found the tasting fees a little steep and the product is fairly young.
back to rutherglen for a little explore around town
The visit to Corowa was unexpectedly brief, so we returned to Rutherglen for the afternoon. The first stop, of course, was at the big wine bottle – yes, another BIG thing!
In truth it’s an old water tower that has been tastefully converted into a red wine bottle. A whole less tacky than some of those other BIGS. We followed this up with a self guided heritage walking tour of Rutherglen town itself. There’s a pdf map and guide available here which proved to be really helpful. And some snaps of the streetscape to give you an idea of what you might see:
By this stage it was getting late so we headed back to our accomodation at Mount Ophir Estate.
The Estate was established in 1891 and purchased by the Burgoyne Family who were London wine merchants in 1903.
They extended the winery buildings and constructed a French-style tower. The estate was purchased by the current family (of the Brown Brothers dynasty) in 2016 and is now being refurbished as accommodation. Unfortunately, this is the only means to actually visit the estate.
It’s a relaxing place to stay, with a collection of diverse buildings to stay at – including the tower. We wish them well as the property has great character and will be a wonderful location once fully restored.
our final take
A destination that will appeal to those who appreciate niche dessert wines. We suggest making at least part of the visit by way of a walk or cycle on the rail trail so that you can enjoy the countryside as well. Couple this was a long lunch at one of the wineries and it would make a perfect day.
rutherglen visitor website: https://www.explorerutherglen.com.au/
