“It was a crowd and a crowd intent on getting their share of the wines on taste… But as always, with some excellent wine under the belt, love of humanity inched back into the picture,” writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER from a mass tasting of Rutherglen wines.

In the morning, misanthropy ruled my day: I crossed Canberra Avenue near the Manuka shops at the pedestrian lights when the lead car slammed on its brakes to stop in sync with the red light. 

As I crossed on the green “go”, I turned my head towards the fellow who had come to a sudden halt and, surprisingly, he shook his fist at me in anger.

I stood there and pointed at the lights and mouthed: “It’s a bloody pedestrian crossing!” I received a vulgar gesticulation in return. 

The afternoon was hopefully to be a respite from the Jean-Paul Sartre “Hell is Other People” world of curmudgeonly behaviour.

I was attending the Rutherglen in the City event where the mountain had come to Mohammed: 14 wineries from northeast Victoria showcased their wines in the members’ dining room of Old Parliament House and, for a nudge over $50 a head, we were able to taste a full array of wines from the Rutherglen region.

Mate Tom and I attended the afternoon session from 2.30pm to 5.30pm along with 428 other people

It was a crowd and a crowd intent on getting their share of the wines on taste. I’m not sure what level of hell this particular foray represented with people five deep pushing for their share of the goodies, but I believe that I’m becoming a social vegan: I’ll try to avoid meet in the future. I initially felt like a mate who, after a blonde he married turned into a brunette, sued for bleach of promise. 

But as always, with some excellent wine under the belt, love of humanity inched back into the picture. This was particularly the case after interacting with Andrew Sutherland Smith, the winemaker for Warrabilla, a warm and knowledgeable bloke.

The surprise from this house of big reds was a fiano. The 2025 Small Batch Fiano was not a fruit salad bomb like some of this varietal, but more nuanced with light stone fruit characteristics and a clean finish that surprised me because some fianos I’ve tasted fade at the back.

The Smithy’s Blend 11 was on taste, offering up the winemaker’s skills for excellent value for money, with durif and shiraz dominating a bold 15.5 per cent alcohol by volume wine. That’s on the list for future purchase.

Old favourite Anderson’s were present with my preference of their offering on the day being the 2021 Petit Verdot. This varietal is often blended with other wines as it is thick skinned and can be heavily tannic.

The Anderson wine is rich and mouth filling with dark fruit in the finish and a touch of spice. It would go very well with a venison stew. 

One of the most interesting wines from the afternoon was from John Gehrig wines. It was a 2018 Riesling produced from grapes grown not in Rutherglen but from the cooler King Valley.

It had a great vivid yellow colour and the bouquet had a hint of petroleum that you get with some aged rieslings.

On taste it was complex and the hint of petrol was enhancing rather than detracting. The younger riesling, 2022, was fresh and light and the comparison showed how age can really deepen the complexity of riesling. 

There were a number of wineries offering fortifieds, a style of wine that exemplifies the Rutherglen experience.

I particularly liked the Old Vine Muscat from Chambers and I bought a bottle for $30. 

This wine is classic Rutherglen with a luscious raisin-infused palate and a nose redolent of raisins and rose petals. I’m looking forward to having this with a rich chocolate mousse that I may even share with others… well, maybe.