Rutherglen Muscat

Question 1

Rutherglen growing environnement

Answer 1

North ov Victoria
Continental climate
Cool air from victorian Alps cools the region at night
Long, warm days during growing season and dry autumn

Question 2

Rutherglen viticulture

Answer 2

Made from MPG Rouge, aka Rutherglen brown muscat. Red skinned mutation of MPG.
Trained as double cordons VSP. Some shade needed.
Grapes left on the wine until they become extra ripe and started to shrievel. Can reach up to %20 pot.
Picked between mid march and may
To have various style, harvest at different ripeness level

Question 3

Rutherglen tasting

Answer 3

Medium amber - tawny in colour.
Pronounced aromas raisins, figs, dates, sweet spices.
Sweet on the palate - full-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol for a fortified wine with pronounced intensirt of flavours.

CLASSIC - Deeper colour, more concentration and gretaer comoplexit6

GRAND and RARE - brown in colour, nuttyi treacle, liquorice character. Sweeter and fuller bodied and higher in acidity. Outstanding quality.

Fully - mature, do not improve from bottle aging. Should be consumed within a year or two
No botrytis like aromas.
Grapey Muscat aromas should be identifiable.
NV - Blending to fine tune percepteion of sweetness

Question 4

Rutherglen winemaking

Answer 4

Shriveled grapes -> difficult to extract juice through immediate pressing so fermented briefly on skins with classical extration techniques.
Once 1- 2 % alc., drained off and combined juice fortified to 17,5 abv with spirit of 96 %to keep muscat character.
Clarified by soutirage / light filtration / protein stab.

Question 5

Rutherglen Maturation

Answer 5

Matured in very old oak vessels 1,3-1,9 tonnes or 0,5, in warm conditions, warehouses with thin roofs.
During maturation water evaporates gradually causing alcohol, sugar acidit to concentrate. Speed of maturatiın is affacted by the heat, the size of the vessel and humidity. Some leaves ullage to have oxydative style; some tops to have fresher style.
Overall during maturation wine turn gradually from pale pink to deep brown, become fuller bodied, syrupy, more tertiary flavours.

Question 6

Rutherglen classifications

Answer 6

classified on taste

Rutherglen Muscat - basic style with average 180-240 g/lt sugar

Classig RGM - greater concentration, complexity and tertiary flavours. 6-10 years. 200 - 280 g/l sugar. clear rancio notes but still some Muscat

Grand RGM - Even greater concentration and complexity from blending young and very mature wines. Average age 11 -19 years. 270 -400 g /l

Rare RGM - min age 20. Residual sweetness 270 - 400

Question 7

Rutherglen business

Answer 7

A few, mostly small, estate wineries. Muscat of Rutherglen network. 19 million liter for domestic marker. top market is UK.