Rutherglen
Rutherglen is the agricultural and viticultural centre of Australia's oldest wine growing region and is located near banks of the Murray River, in the North-East of Victoria.
The great fortified wines for which the region is famous are grown on a band of loam (locally known as Rutherglen loam) on the lower slopes of the gentle local hills. The country is flat with an elevation of between 150 and 250 metres.
The climate is strongly continental with very hot summer days and cold nights, and is classified as being a 'warm climate' region. The growing season can be threatened at one end by spring frosts that are exacerbated by cold air blowing down from the mountains to the south, and at the other end by the abrupt arrival of autumn rain.
But when conditions are favourable, the exceptionally high sugar levels needed for fortified wines (and which power the full bodied red table wines) are attained. The climate is ideal for the production of riper styles of Shiraz, Durif and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Rhone Valley varieties of Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache and Mourvedre.
Harvest Time: Mid March to late April.