36°03′0″S 146°28′0″E / 36.05000°S 146.46667°E / -36.05000; 146.46667
| Wine region | |
| Type | Australian Geographical Indication |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Part of | North East Victoria |
| Varietals produced | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Durif, Gewurtztraminer, Muscat, Semillon, Shiraz, Tokay (Muscadelle) |
| No. of wineries | 18 |
Rutherglen is a wine-producing area around the town of Rutherglen in North East Victoria zone of the state of Victoria in Australia. The area is particularly noted for its sweet fortified wines.
Climate and geography
Rutherglen features a Mediterranean climate (Csa) with hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters. Climate data is sourced from Rutherglen Research; established in 1912 and still operating today. It is at an elevation of 175 metres (574 ft).
The highest temperature recorded was 46.8 °C (116.2 °F) on 14 January 1939, whereas the lowest was −7.5 °C (18.5 °F) on 14 June 2006.
| Climate data for Rutherglen Research (1912–2020); 175 m AMSL; 36° 06′ 16.92″ S | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 46.8 (116.2) |
45.6 (114.1) |
40.2 (104.4) |
35.5 (95.9) |
28.7 (83.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.5 (72.5) |
24.9 (76.8) |
32.2 (90.0) |
38.9 (102.0) |
41.8 (107.2) |
45.6 (114.1) |
46.8 (116.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.5 (88.7) |
30.8 (87.4) |
27.4 (81.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.0 (57.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
25.5 (77.9) |
29.3 (84.7) |
21.8 (71.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) |
13.9 (57.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.1 (44.8) |
4.3 (39.7) |
2.5 (36.5) |
2.1 (35.8) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
6.2 (43.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
7.3 (45.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36.4 (1.43) |
37.6 (1.48) |
38.5 (1.52) |
39.5 (1.56) |
51.8 (2.04) |
56.4 (2.22) |
61.1 (2.41) |
60.2 (2.37) |
53.7 (2.11) |
56.9 (2.24) |
45.0 (1.77) |
44.3 (1.74) |
581.4 (22.89) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 14.4 | 14.0 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 7.6 | 6.2 | 106.9 |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
Grapes and wine
A wide variety of grapes flourish in Rutherglen thanks to its sunny and dry climate. Grapes grown in this region include Durif, Muscat, Tempranillo, Marsanne, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz, Tokay (Muscadelle).
Wineries
Winemakers of Rutherglen
The Winemakers of Rutherglen formed into a membership based incorporated association in 1992. 18 wineries now make up the Winemakers of Rutherglen. Member wineries are All Saints Estate, Anderson Winery, Andrew Buller Wines, Buller Wines, Campbells Wines, Chambers Rosewood, Cofield Wines, John Gehrig wines, Jones winery, Morris wines, Mount Prior vineyard, Pfeiffer wines, Rutherglen estates, Scion vineyard, Stanton & Killeen, St Leonards vineyard, Valhalla wines, Warrabilla wines,
Other Rutherglen wineries
In recent years, Rutherglen has seen a number of smaller new wineries emerge varying in size and production. Some have opted to open a cellar door.
- Calico Town Wines
- Lilliput Wines
References
- "Rutherglen". Register of Protected GIs and Other Terms. Wine Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson (2007). The World Atlas Of Wine (6th ed.). Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1-84533-414-7.
- "Rutherglen Research". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
- Tom Stevenson (1997). The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-2079-4.
- Oz Clarke (1999). Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Wine. London: Websters. ISBN 9780316851572.
- "Winemakers of Rutherglen | Our Wineries".
- Wine styles of Rutherglen by Australian wine critic, James Halliday
- Rutherglen Tokay and Muscat by U.S. wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr.
| Wine regions of Victoria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Central Victoria |  | |
| Gippsland | ||
| North East Victoria | ||
| North West Victoria | ||
| Port Phillip | ||
| Western Victoria | ||