RUTHERGLEN winery Chambers Rosewood is in top form as it closes in on its 160th anniversary this year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Its Rare fortified wines have again featured in Australia’s prestigious wine form guide this month and it ranked highly for six wines in the new James Halliday Wine Companion 2019. It continued its long-standing tradition as a 5 Star rated winery too.
Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rare Muscat and Rare Muscadelle were listed in the 7th edition of the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine, which were announced every four years.
It is the foremost form guide to the best performing wines in the Australian market and the pre-eminent wine classification of “new world” wines.
The classification includes only 136 Australian wines this year.
Sixth-generation winemaker Stephen Chambers welcomed the accolades for his two Rare styles.
He said they had been classified as “excellent”, which was the third highest ranking to “exceptional”. Both styles were classified “excellent” in the previous classification year of 2014.
“It shows that we’ve maintained quality,” he said.
“It shows that small players can still do wonderful things in the industry.”
Mr Chambers said the Rare styles were passed down through generations of his family.
“They’re multi-generational wines; they were started back in the 1890s and passed down to me,” he said.
“We make sure we put the best wine in that we can.
“We’ll be bottling out again in 2019.”
Mr Chambers attended the Langton’s Classification VII in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide this month to showcase his two Rare styles.
He will also travel to Perth and Brisbane as part of the three-week Langton’s tour.
The release of Classification VII coincided with Langton’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
The status “Classified” is granted by a free, open auction market, not by critics or winemakers.
It is this market-led independence that has made Langton’s Classification the leading guide of its kind outside Europe.
Just 34 wines made it into the first Langton’s Classification in 1990 while this year’s classification includes 136 wines.
The original list was published with the aim of strengthening the then fledgling wine auction market.
Seppeltsfield Barossa had the only other fortified wines in the classification this year.
Beechworth’s Giaconda Estate Vineyard Chardonnay and Castagna Beechworth Genesis Syrah also made the rankings.
Wines are eligible for inclusion based on their performance and track record on the secondary (auction) market over a minimum of 10 vintages.
Chambers Rosewood Winery will celebrate its 160th anniversary with a dinner at La Maison in Wodonga on October 26. Bookings via the restaurant.