Winemakers of Rutherglen focus on getting visitors back to region as fire and smoke recovery efforts kick-off

“With all of our wineries now busy preparing for this weekend’s Tastes of Rutherglen festival, our efforts and focus are firmly placed on encouraging visitors back to the North-East Victorian region,” said Winemakers of Rutherglen Chairperson Chris Gilliard this week.

“With vintage now in full swing, grape and mini ferment testing is continuing to assist in ascertaining potential levels of smoke exposure from the recent bushfires. The results so far are proving to be highly variable from winery-to-winery and are influenced by the region’s topography. 

“What is known is that wine craft is a century old skill set passed down by the generations in Rutherglen. Our experienced winemakers will be using all available knowledge and extensive experience along with varying winemaking techniques and reliable data, to ensure that whatever wine is produced from the 2020 vintage, will remain of the highest quality” he said.

Wine Australia is not speculating on 2020 vintage results either, saying: “There’s no doubt that we’ve had a very dry spring and summer, however it is hard to predict vintages. Last year – which was also dry – some brave souls tried estimating and were proved wrong.”

For the Winemakers of Rutherglen, the focus is very much on driving locals and visitors to the region. 

“Tastes of Rutherglen is a great opportunity for nearby locals to rediscover what is on their doorstep and for people from the cities to enjoy the perfect giveback getaway with a wine weekend in Rutherglen” Mr Gilliard said.

Tickets for Tastes of Rutherglen are still available. Visit www.tastesofrutherglen.com.au for more details.

FAST FACTS: WINE AUSTRALIA FIRE & SMOKE RECOVERY

  • The fire footprint covered less than one per cent of Australia’s total vineyard area.
  • There has been extensive testing to make sure Australia is producing high-quality wines.
  • The modelling suggests that less than 4 per cent of the 2020 crush will, potentially, be affected by smoke exposure – which is around 60,000 tonnes of grapes from a total of 1.7 million tonnes crushed in the average year.
  • Smoke affects the grapes, not the vines. There is no carry over between seasons.
  • Characteristics of smoke in wine change over time and are experienced differently by different people.

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