Feature Story
Five generations of winemaking knowledge on show
The Gehrig family wine history started around 1860 in Barnawartha, Rutherglen. Fourth-generation winemaker, John Gehrig, who was born in Rutherglen, established a vineyard and winery on the banks of the King River, Oxley in Northeast Victoria in 1976 – only minutes from what is now the famed Milawa gourmet region. He used the cooler region to produce primum Riesling, Chenin Blanc and lighter reds like Gamay and Pinot Noir.
In 2011, the allure of returning to John’s original birthplace of Rutherglen was too strong for John’s son, Ross. So, he and his wife Meghan, expanded John Gehrig Wines with the acquisition of a vineyard and cellar door on an 80 hectare site in Gooramadda, east of Rutherglen. Ross has well and truly taken on the challenge of ensuring that Gehrig Wines’ continues to craft wines of superb quality and complexity. Ross has an obsession with producing the best grapes, to create wines of distinction, that pay homage to his father’s iconic Northeast Victorian winery.
He is continuing the family legacy, by not only producing the styles and wines his father once did, but also by creating his own range of high-end, big and flavourful wines under the ‘RG’ label – produced only when the fruit is perfect.
If you enjoy tasting a wide range of diverse, high-quality wines – ranging from aromatic whites, fruity light reds and the Rutherglen favourties of Cabernet, Durif, Shiraz and fortified wines – it is certainly worth dropping into John Gehrig Wines’ Rutherglen winery.
For more about John Gehrig Wines – click here