Muscat of Rutherglen Digital Brochure by Winemakers of Rutherglen

INTRODUCING MUSCATOFRUTHERGLEN 05

THERUTHERGLEN WINEREGION 11

THEMAKINGOF MUSCATOFRUTHERGLEN 15

MUSCATOFRUTHERGLEN CLASSIFICATION 21 MUSCATOF RUTHERGLENMOMENTS 25

MuscatofRutherglenisanAustralian treasure,impossibletoreplicateasit containstheessenceandartistryof multiplegenerations.Itislovingly handcraftedfromagedstocks,nurtured bygenerationsofRutherglenwinemakers intheiruniqueclimate.Theresulting winesareintense,richandsensuous.

MuscatofRutherglenisaworldrecognisedandcritically-acclaimed winestyleuniquetoRutherglen,with aproudhistoryspanningover100years offamilywinemaking.Theblending skillsrequiredtoproducethisraregem havebeenpasseddownfromgeneration togeneration,withwinemakersplying theircraftsothattheycansharetheir skillsandartistrywithMuscatlovers fromallovertheworld.

MuscatofRutherglenisaMuscatstyle likenoother;thankstotheunique combinationofclimate,grapevariety, soilsandarchitecture,butmostofall, thereservedstocksandunsurpassed blendingskills.

MadefromMuscatàPetitsGrainsRouge, MuscatofRutherglenwinesarerich, complexandintense,pairingexcellently withavarietyofsavourydishes,fullflavouredcheesesanddesserts,butthey alsostandheroicallyontheirown,over iceasanaperitiformixedincocktails. Thestrengthofthewinestyleliesinits versatilityandthemysterythatcomes withuncoveringitsessence. Thereisnootherdrinkonearththat compares.Itcapturesallthatisgood aboutAustraliawithfewwinesableto elicitaresponseuponfirsttastingquite likeMuscatofRutherglen–intense,rich, sensuousandmemorable.

MuscatofRutherglenstandsoutina crowd,proudlyofferingthosekeento tasteitadepthofflavour,textureand complexitylikenoother.Itoffersahighly sophisticatedanddiversedrinking experiencethatinmanywaysbeliesthe ruralsurroundsoftheregioninwhichit isproduced.

MuscatofRutherglenwinesaregrouped intoaladderofclassificationsthatmark aprogressioninrichness,complexity, ageandintensityofflavour.Thefour classificationsare:RutherglenMuscat, ClassicRutherglenMuscat,Grand RutherglenMuscatandRareRutherglen Muscat.Onlywinesthatmeetthe requirementsofthisclassificationsystem areawardedthemuchsought-after MuscatofRutherglenstampof authenticity.Theclassificationsexistto ensurepeoplechoosethebestMuscat tosuittheoccasion.

ThereisevenadedicatedMuscatof Rutherglenglasspersonallychosenby GeorgRiedel–10thgenerationoffamilyownedglobalglasscompanyRiedel.

MuscatofRutherglenwinesareintense, rich,sensuousandmemorable; anationaltreasurethatdeservesto beretoldinnewwaystoallwinelovers. RutherglenistheMuscatcapitalofthe world,hometotheuniqueMuscatof Rutherglenwinestyles.

Visitorscantakeajourneyalongthe region’s‘MuscatMile’tomeetthemaster blenders–tastethedifferent classificationsofMuscatandindulgein someoftheregion’srichestandrarest stocksstraightfromthebarrel.

ThehistoricRutherglenWineRegionhas leftanindeliblemarkonAustralianwine heritageandcontinuestoshapethe modernwineindustry.Theregion’s growersandwinemakersformaclose-knit communitythat’spassionateabout preservingage-oldtraditionswhile experimentingwithnewtechniquesand varietiesthatensurethisdynamicregion continuestoevolve.

THERUTHERGLEN WINEREGION

Climate

NestledinVictoria’sHighCountry,among gentlehilllinesrunningoutoftheGreat DividingRangeandtheMurrayRiver, Rutherglenat130-180m,hasaclassic Continentalclimate,withwarmdaysin theripeningperiodoccasionallyreaching hightemperaturesinsummer,andnight temperaturesmoderatedbythecoolair flowingfromthefoothillsofthenearby VictorianAlps,producingalargediurnal temperaturedifference.Theaverage meanJantemperatureis22.7°C.Itisa dryheat,resultinginfewissueswith diseaseormildewinnormalyears.

Atalatitudeof36°11’Rutherglen’s rainfallis580ml(23inch)withmost fallingattherighttimesinwinterand spring,allowingthevineyardstoretain goodsubsoilmoisturewellintothe growingperiod.

Mostimportantly,Rutherglen’sautumn islong,warmanddry.Thisallowsupto twoweeksextendedripeningovermost othergrowingregionsinthecountry. Thegrowingseason’sweatherconditions allowthegrapestofullyripennaturally, concentratingthesugarsandflavoursof theberriesandmaintainingthearomatic fruitflavourstoproducerichluscious winesandthetastesensationonly MuscatofRutherglenwinescanevoke.

Soil

SoilsvaryacrossRutherglen,though therearethreemainsoiltypes.Inthe northernbandoftheregionclosestto theMurrayRiver,vinesthriveinfine sandyloam,whichexistswheretheriver bankonceran.Thiswell-drainingsoil typicallyproducesfloralwineswithlower acidityandlesstannin.

InthemiddlebandofRutherglen, onthelowerslopesofthegentlehills, you’llfindredloamoverclay.Locally called‘RutherglenLoam’,thissoil accountsforthemajorityoftheregion.

Itisrichinmineralsandhasgood moisture-holdingability,whichis beneficialinRutherglen’swarmanddry climate.Muchofthefruitfortheregion’s famousfortifiedwinesisgrownonthis bandofloam,whichsnakesaroundthe centreofthetownandextendsfour kilometrestotheeastandwestandfive kilometrestothesouth.

Rutherglen’sthirdmajorsoiltype containsbandsofshaleandquartz. Thisisachallengingprofileforvines, producingintenselyflavouredfruit.

Geography

TheMurrayRiverandaseriesofcreeks, billabongsandlagoonssnakethrough theregion,contributingtosoilmoisture, andinfluencingweatherpatterns. Therearealsoanumberof undergroundaquifersthatcontribute tosubsoilmoisture.

VineAge

Vineagevarieswithinthedistrict, howevermostofthegrapesaregrown onvinesof20,30,50,upto90yearsof age.Thesematurevinesgrowgrapes withintensityandrichnessofflavour.

THEMAKING OFMUSCATOF RUTHERGLEN

Therearemorethan200varietiesof MuscatintheworldbutRutherglen’s wineproducersonlyusethehigh-quality MuscatàPetitsGrainsRouge(locally referredtoas‘RutherglenBrownMuscat’), renownedforitsintenseflavoursdueto thesmallerberriesprovidingmorecolour andflavour.Theclonesusedarespecific toRutherglenandhavebeengrownhere formorethan140years.

HARVEST

TheamazingcomplexityofMuscatof Rutherglenbeginsinthevineyardwhere thefruitqualityandsugarcontentofthe harvestedgrapesarevitaltothefuture blends.Asfruitforthesewinesislefton thevineforanextendedperiod,many factorscaninterveneandaffectquality.

TheRutherglenvigneronsdrawona diverserangeofvineyardsacrossthe district–takingyoung,fruitymaterial fromtenyearoldMuscatvines,or wonderfullymellowfruitfromlow yieldingvinesof40,60oreven90 yearsold,tobolstertheirblendswith Muscatofexactlytherequiredrichness foreach.TheRutherglenvigneronshave learntexactlyhowtoextractthevery bestfromtheirgrapes,pickingoneblock ofvinesearly,ormanagingtheyields ofanotherthroughtheuseofselective pruning,orleavinganotherblockof vinestomaturelongintoautumnto gainmaximumsugarandflavour. Muscatproductionisnotforthefaint hearted.Thevigneronsmustleavethe grapestoripenonthevineforaslong aspossible–riskingspoilagebyearly autumnrainsorbotrytis.However, theirrichharvestisworththewait.

Ingoodyears,thesugarinthegrapes mayreachmorethan20degreesBaumé, andinmostvintageswillbeharvested at17or18degreesBaumé–averyrich harvest.Theimportanceofclimate cannotbeunderestimated.Forexample, wetweatherintroducesmouldwith attendantrotandundesirableflavours. Incontrast,weatherwhichistoohot tooquicklycaninduceexcess evaporationleadingtodryshrivel, beforetheflavoursugaracidbalance canbedeveloped.Hotweathercan alsoburnofffloralcharacters.

Itisimportanttonote,thatRutherglen’s veryreliableclimateallowsthesugar developmentonthevine(thatis,not throughmat-dryingmethodsemployed inothersweetfortifiedstyles).Itisthe ripeningofthefruitonthevinethat providesthedepthandintensityof Muscatflavourandthefruitlusciousness forwhichRutherglenisfamous.

WINEMAKING

Fermentation

Inthewinemakingprocess,thedegree ofripeness,purityofflavour,thepoint offermentationatwhichfortifyingspirit isaddedandthequalityandpurityof thatfortifyinggrapespiritallcombine toproducethefinishedproduct.

Themuscatjuiceisfermentedonskins forashortperiodcreating1-2%alcohol beforefermentationisstoppedbythe additionoffortifyingspiritafterpressing.

Extractingthesyrupyjuicefromthe fullyripenedgrapesisapainstaking andextremelystickytask–taking patiencetopressalltherichliquid fromtheraisinedberries.

Selectionforclassification

Eachvintage,grapesarepickedin batchesaccordingtoqualityandthe resultantwinesarekeptseparateuntil theirfinalqualitycanbeassessedand adecisionmaderegardingwhich classificationtheywilljoin.

Maturationandblending

Contrarytopopularbelief,ageisonly onefactorindeterminingthecomplexity ofMuscat.Asthestagesofthe classificationincrease,thenumber ofvintagesintheblendandthespan ofagebetweentheoldestandyoungest componentwineswillbegreater. Nevertheless,thesearemerelytwo contributingfactors.

Followingfermentation,thenewwines areplacedinmatureoakcasksof varioussizes,toallowtheflavoursofthe Muscattointegrateandmature,but withouttheovertinfluenceofnewoak. Infact,thebarrelsarechosenonthe basisthattheywillnotimpartanyoak flavourstothewine–thebarrelsmerely providethemediumforslowandgentle maturation.Inotherwords,itisthe flavouroffruit,notoak,whichdrives RutherglenMuscat.Theratioofbigor smalloakcasksdependsoneach winemaker’sblendingprogram, asthesmallerthecask,thequicker theconcentrationanddevelopment ofthewines.Sizescanrangefrom 60-50,000litres.

Theplacementofbarrelscaninfluence thespeedofawine'sdevelopment,with winesfrombarrelsatthetopofastack nearerthewinery'sroofwhereitis warmer,maturingfasterthanwinefrom barrelsatthebottomnearerthecooler floorarea.

Theuniqueartformofmaturingthe MuscatofRutherglenstyle(witheach generationaddingitsownfingerprint) seessomewineriesemployamodified solerasystem–analternativeblending andageingprocesstoensure consistencyacrosstheclassifications.

ThesolerasystemseesindividualMuscat stocksgraduateinanageingprocess–fromonestagetothenext–withthe youngwineintroducedattheearliest stageandthematurewinetakenfrom thefinalstageforbottling.

Evaporation

Evaporationplaysanimportantrole inthematurationoftheMuscats. Onaveragethematuringcaskslose 3-5%oftheirvolumeperyeartothe “angels”.Over20yearstheangelsget halfofeverybarrel.Thisevaporation makestheproductionofthesewines acostlyenterprise,butwithoutthis concentrationthroughevaporation, thesewouldnotbethe‘world'srichest wines’.Overthewarmermonthstheair inthecellarsisrichwiththearomaof Muscatbeginningitsjourneyskyward. Lookup,andyouwillseethedark depositsonthewineryroofs-evidence ofmanyyearsofthegradualmigration ofthewineoutofthecasks.

Theskillofthewinemakerinmaking andblendingthesewonderfulwines hasdevelopedintoanartformthatonly generationsofexperienceandaninnate knowledgeofthequalitiesoftheir Muscatscandeliver.

MUSCATOF RUTHERGLEN CLASSIFICATION

MuscatofRutherglen ClassificationSystem

RutherglenMuscatisclassifiedusing atieredsystemthatindicatesthelevel ofcomplexityofthewine.Thefour descriptionsmarkaprogressionin richness,complexity,ageandintensity offlavour.Ageisonlyonefactorin determiningawine’sclassification, butitdoesprovideanimportantclue. EachproducerofMuscatofRutherglen hastheirown“HouseStyle”withinthe classificationsystem.

TheMoRStampofAuthenticity

TheclassifiedMuscatofRutherglen winesbearamarkofauthenticity–atrademarkthatisonlyappliedtowines madefromthegreatMuscatvineyards oftheregion,assuringthehighest qualityandadherencetoclassification.

RUTHERGLENMUSCAT

Averageage:3-5years

Thefoundationstyledisplayingfresh fruitaromas,richfruitonthepalate, andgreatlengthofflavour.

Aromas

Muscatfruit,raisin,orange marmalade,floral

Flavours

Raisin,walnut,fruitcake

CLASSICRUTHERGLENMUSCAT

Averageage:6-10years

Greaterlevelsofrichnessand complexity;exhibitingthebeginnings ofmaturewoodagedcharacters producedfromextendedmaturation inoak.

Aromas Turkishdelight,espresso

Flavours

Raisin,toffee,liquorice

GRANDRUTHERGLENMUSCAT

Averageage:11-19years

TakestheflavourofRutherglenMuscat toahigherlevelofdevelopment; displayinganewlevelofintensity, depth,andconcentrationofflavour, maturewoodagedcharacters, andacomplexitythatimpartslayers oftextureandflavour.

Aromas

Coffee,toffee,darkchocolate

Flavours

Christmasspice,roastednuts,salted caramel,molasses

RARERUTHERGLENMUSCAT

Averageage:inexcessof20years

Thepinnacleofthestyle,therichest andmostcompletewine–displaying deepcolour,intensefruitandmature oakcharacters,richviscoustexture, andextraordinarydepthofmellowed complexflavours.

Aromas

Christmasspice,coffee,chocolate,nuts

Flavours

Fruitcake,coffeebean, agedbalsamic,darkchocolate

MUSCATOF RUTHERGLEN MOMENTS

MuscatofRutherglenisarich, sophisticated,sensoryandmystical drinkingexperiencethattrulyreflects thelayersofexpertiseandtimethathas goneintotheproductionofeverydrop.

Withatastesensationthatlingerson andisnearimpossibletoreplicate, MuscatofRutherglenisoftensaidtosit betweenawineandaspirit,whichgives thestyleitsgreateststrength:versatility.

Theclassificationsystemassistsdrinkers tochoosethebestMuscatforeach occasionwhereitissuretoenhance theflavour.

Thenewgenerationarepushingthe boundarieswithMuscatofRutherglen.

Thinkthelighter RutherglenMuscat, freshandyouthfulwithasubtlerichness thatlingerswitheachsip,enjoyedasan aperitif,oniceormixitupinarefreshing cocktailwithadifference.Serveitwith canapés,driedfruitandnuts,fruitbased desserts,pannacottaandsorbet.

Enjoy ClassicRutherglenMuscat, withablendedageofsixtotenyears, withsavouryfoods–soups,spicycurries andslow-cookedmeats.Cheeseisa naturalmatchespeciallyacreamyBrie, crumblycheddarandpungentbluecheese.

Thestronger GrandRutherglenMuscat, blendedfromMuscatwinesagedin barrelsforanythingbetween11-19 years,isaperfectmatchtotheflavours ofterrineandpate,chocolateand chocolate-baseddesserts,rich butterscotchandcarameldesserts. Enjoyitwithaanystrongcheeseor, whentryingtoimpress,serveitas anAffogato.

Thepinnacle RareRutherglenMuscat, blendedfromMuscatwinesinexcessof 20yearsofageandinmanycases passeddownthroughmultiple generations,deservestobesippedand savouredaloneforpurepleasureto appreciateitsintensity.Itishistoryina glass!Perhapslingerlongerwithastrong coffeeorthefinestdarkchocolate.

AMuscatmomentcanbeanything–relaxingonthecouchsippingaglass ofRutherglenMuscat,bookinhand; sharingacheekyafterdinnerglass ofClassicRutherglenMuscatwitha partner;unwindinginthebathtub, aglassofGrandRutherglenMuscat perchedonthevanity;orsimply savouringsomeRareRutherglenMuscat forpurepleasure.

TheMuscatofRutherglenglass

TheenjoymentofMuscatofRutherglen isgreatlyenhancedbyservingitina largeglass.

TheMuscatofRutherglenproducers workedwithGeorgeRiedel-the 10thgenerationofthisfamous varietalglasswarefamily–tofind theperfectglass.

TheRiedelMuscatofRutherglenglass isgenerousallowingappreciationofthe complexitiesofthisuniquewine.

MuscatofRutherglenisanational treasurethatdeservestobeshared withnewwinedrinkers.

Carefullycraftedfromover100yearsof rarestocks,familysecretsandskills.

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