Australia Rutherglen

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

• North east victoria zone

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Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

• warm, high levels of sunshine with wide diurnal ranges and long dry autumns

Question 3

Soils

Answer 3

• lighter sandier soils often produce more highly perfumed wines with delicate fruit characters
• grey brown Rutherglen loam found on higher grounds generally results in richer, heavier and headier wines.
• deep, moisture retaining alluvial red loam

Question 4

Grapes

Answer 4

• Muscat Brown / Muscat Blanc de Petit Grains

Question 5

Viticulture

Answer 5

• to make this you need very ripe fruit
• Rutherglen enjoys a particular advantage in this regard
• climate is perfectly suited to the task of ripening muscat
• harvest is usually mild, sunny, stable
• allows for muscat fruit an extra period of hangtime on the the vine
• resulting in the impossibly high baumes which are required for the muscat
• dry farming is common
• left to 17-18 baume on the vine

Question 6

Vinification

Answer 6

• fruit is sensitively handled and fortified with a natural grape spirit
• journey starts in a barrel that may last as few as 5 or as many as 105 years
• young, fresh and fruity rutherglen muscat often bottled at around 5 years of age
• very best muscat is impervious to age and can develop in barrel form any generations as a base component for futyre blends
• rutherglen muscat is rarely bottled as a single vintage wine
• more often it’s a blend of many vintages that hvae been ageing in the winery
• ageing pricess can vary from winery to winery
• most employ a modified solera system, a graduated ageing process where wine is transferred from barrel to barrel over a number of years before finally being bottled

Question 7

Classifications

Answer 7

Classification that marks the progression in richness, complexity, and intensity of flavor. Age is only one factor in determining a wine’s classification, it does provide some clue for the Grand and Rare wines.

• Rutherglen Muscat: foundation of style, fresh raisin aroma, rich fruit, clean spirit, great length of flavor, which is the mark of all Muscats. Average age 3-5 yrs. 180-240g/l
• Classic Rutherglen Muscat: greater levels of richness and complexity, produced through the blending of selected parcels of wine, often matured in various sizes of oak to impart the distinctive dry ‘rancio’ characters produced from maturation in seasoned wood. Avg age is 6-10 yrs. 200-280g/l
• Grand Rutherglen Muscat: still a higher plane of development. New levels of intensity, depth, concentration and flavor. Mature rancio characters. Avg age 11-19 yrs. 270-400g/l
• Rare Rutherglen Muscat: rare by name and structure. pinnacle of the muscats. Fully developed and displaying the extraordinary qualities that result from the blending of selected parcels of only the very crichest and most complete wines. Only bottled in tiny quantities each year, exquisite complexity, texture, and depth of color. Min 20+ age yrs. RS 270-400g/l

Question 8

Trade Structures

Answer 8

• 23 producers in 2014
• ## Muscat of Rutherglen Network