5 - Rutherglen Muscat

Question 1

-history

Answer 1

• the first vines planted in rutherglen, Victoria in 1850
• 1890 rutherglen produced around 25% of Australia wine, much of which was exported to the uk
• sources are unclear on what styles of wine rutherglen was produced at that time
• very old stocks of wines suggest some sweet, fortified wines were being made
• at the end of the 19th century parts of Victoria including rutherglen, were decimated by phylloxera
• rutherglen recovered by replanting on resistant rootstocks
• but the new century brought federation and an end to cross-border tariffs
• rutherglen found difficult to complete with more productive regions and did not fully restore its previous area of vineyards
• nevertheless continued producing full-bodied red wines and also its unique fortified wines as a point of difference
• today rutherglen is considered as the capital of fortified wines in Australia
• many of rutherglen muscat are family run and making this wine for several generations
• creating house styles
• developed and been maintained based on the fruit selection, winemaker, maturation and blending choices
• Pfeiffer wines fresher, lighter style muscat
• all Saints and Morris intense and luscious style muscat

Question 2

-the growing environment and grape growing

Answer 2

• rutherglen is located in a island north east of Victoria
• has about 411ha under vine
• continental climate with warm days but moderated by cool air flowing down from the Victoria alps during the night
• warm days in growing season and long, dry autumns mean that large amounts of sugar can accumulate in the grapes, required for these syrupy, very sweet styles

-grapes are often left on the vine until they become extra ripe and start dry, this increase the sugar concentration (reach potential alcohol levels of 20%abv

• harvest usually be between mid-March and may
• producers pick different vineyards and blocks at different times to gain a combination of earlier harvest with fresh muscat aromas and extra-ripe, dry grapes with more sugar, dried fruit characters and raisin
• but the weather at harvest-time can influence which of these alternatives will predominate
• autumns are generally dry rain can occasionally be a problem, increasing the risk of fungal diseases
• the orange marmalade aromas that botrytis can give are not desired in the production of these wines
• even despite a long ageing process the grapey aromas of muscat should still be identifiable

Question 3

Rutherglen muscat grapes

Answer 3

• muscat a petits grains rouges or rutherglen brown muscat
• red-skinned mutation of muscat blanc a petits grains, similar to the white version displays pronounced grapey and floral aromas

Question 4

Vineyards management

Answer 4

• is a variety or training and trellis systems used
• vines tend to be trained to double cordons with the canopy sprawling over a single foliage wire to help by more wires into to VSP system
• key concern however will be provide some shading for the grapes which are likely to otherwise become sunburnt
• rutherglen has considerable plantings of old vines
• old vines are said to produce bunches of smaller grapes with a higher skin to juice ratio
• can producer deeper coloured, more concentrated wines
• proportion of old vine fruit used can be an element of the house style

Question 5

Fermentation and fortification

Answer 5

• after picked the muscat grapes are partly dry making it hard to extract the dense juice through pressing immediately
• crushed muscat grapes therefore fermented briefly on their skins to break down the pulp and released sugars and flavours
• enzymes may be added to the juice and various cap management techniques employed to aid extraction
• once the juice gains 1-2%abv it is quickly drained of the skins which are pressed and the combined juice then fortified to reach around 17.5%abv
• 96%abv spirit is usually chosen most producers aim to retain muscat character in the wine and therefore want a spirit that is neutral
• lower strength spirit would need to be added in greater volume and would further dilute the wine
• wines are clarified by racking off lees or by light filtration
• winemaker may now make adjustments to PH and perform light fining for protein stability
• the aim is to avoid deposits that might cause off-flavours during maturation

Question 6

Maturation

• overall during maturation the wines gradually turn to from pale pink, ruby to deep brown increase in sweetness, alcohol and acidity levels
• become fuller-bodied and more syrupy and develop more tertiary flavours

Answer 6

• wines are matured in very old oak vessels often in warm conditions
• classically the wines are matured in warehouses with tin roofs, which become hot in the summer
• the positioning of barrels is important
• those nearer the top of stacks are subjected to warmer temperatures and mature more quickly
• some producers also have sections of their warehouses facilities that are insulated to retain more-even, cooler temperatures throughout the year, which generally slows the the maturation and can be used to retain greater freshness
• vessels consist of large round or oval casks of the capacity of 1300 to 9000L and smaller barrels of 180 to 500L
• small vessels promote greater concentration through evaporation, more oxidation and generally a quicker maturation
• wood is often very old as the flavours and tannins from new oak are not wanted in these wines
• during maturation water evaporates gradually from the wok vessels
• causing alcohol, sugar and acidity levels to rise gradually over time

-the speed of this process is impacted by the heat, the size of the vessels and also humidity, Eleuthera warm, dry conditions leading to a quicker rate of evaporation

• producers will aim to reduce ullage by topping up the barrels frequently, maintaining a fresher, less oxidative style of wine
• others will top up barrels less frequently to encourage oxidative flavours to develop
• most rutherglen muscat wines are non-vintage products and an important aspect in the production of the wine is the blending of younger and older wines to gain the optimum balance between freshness and complexity and to retain a consistency of style year on year
• some producers may use a modified SOLERA system (removing some wine from barrel and replacing it with younger wine, although often not in quite the some systematic way used in sherry SOLERA system
• blending helps producers achieve their house style

Question 7

Wine classification

Answer 7

-muscat of rutherglen network found in 1995 to promote sales of rutherglen muscat

• the network introduced a classification system of 4 description based on richness, complexity and intensity
• they are classified on taste rather than age although age is a major factor that determines style
• the level of classification increases the number of vintages in the blend and the span of age between the oldest and youngest component wines will generally be greater
• RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT described as the foundation of the style, average age 3-5 years residual sugar 180-240 g/L
• CLASSIC RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT displays a greater level of concentration, complexity and tertiary flavours, average age 6-10 years, residual sugar 200-280 g/L
• GRAND RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT displays even greater concentration and complexity from blending both young and very mature wines, average age 11-19 years, residual sugar 270-400 g/L
• RARE RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT these wines are bottled in tiny volumes, minimum age 20 years but in the blend can often be much older wines, residual sugar 270-400 g/L

Question 8

Individual producers have their house styles

Answer 8

• in general wines in the Rutherglen Muscat
• classification are medium garnet in colour, and have pronounced aromas of raisins, figs, dates, and sweet spices
• sweet on the palate and full bodied with medium + acidity
• medium alcohol for a fortified wine and a pronounced intensity of flavours
• usually of very good quality and mid-price
• classic generally has a deeper colour more concentration and greater complexity
• their quality and price is often between those of RUTHERGLEN MUSCAT and GRAND and RARE

Question 9

Comparison GRAND and RARE

Answer 9

• classifications are usually tawny or brown in colour with more of a nutty, treacle, liquorice character
• they are even sweeter and fuller bodied than younger Rutherglen Muscat’s but higher acidity and still some degree of fruit to provide balance
• they are typically of outstanding quality and can reach super-premium prices

Question 10

Final notes

Answer 10

-producers rutherglen muscat also generally produce a range of other fortified and non-fortified wines

• rutherglen muscat is fully mature on release and does not improve further from ageing in bottle
• should be drunk within a year or two after bottling to taste at its freshest

Question 11

Wine business

Answer 11

• few wineries producers and the majority belonged to the muscat of rutherglen network
• most wines are made entirely from estate grown fruit but some winemakers buy in a small amount from growers

-today fortified wines accounts 2% of Australian wine sold globally (include rutherglen muscat)

-demand is growing but from a small base
(from 2016 to 2017 export to Asia grew 50% and by 11% to Europe)

• domestic market is also showing slight growth, sales value of fortified wines grew 1.4% from 2016 to 2017 which was particularly driven by 8% growth in muscat sales
• key export China, UK, USA
• main producers Campbell’s and chambers rosewood