An event showcasing more than 100 wines in Albury is an almost certain starter for 2020 after the first Rutherglen in the City pulled wine lovers in their thousands to QEII Square on Saturday.
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And bringing the event "closer to home", after success in Melbourne and Canberra, was all about building on an "already strong" relationship with Border wine drinkers.
Scion Wines vigneron Rowly Milhinch said the pilot Albury event "far exceeded" their expectations.
"I think we had around 600 or 700 presale tickets and we almost doubled that on the day which was just amazing," he said.
"The Border community have been coming and enjoying Rutherglen wines for generations and as a leadership group we were talking about bringing something like this closer to home for some time.
"It was about recognising the Border destination as one of the strongest for our visitation and really further furthering that relationship.
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"We would be silly not to put it on again next year after the first one was such a success."
Despite the "wintery conditions" Mr Milhinch said there is "always a wine that suits rain, hail or shine".
"It was perfect weather for a lot of Rutherglen varieties and a lot of people were coming back asking for another glass of the Duriff," he said.
"That is something we love showcasing is the wide range of varieties Rutherglen has to offer and it was great to see a lot of returning customers but also new customers.
"If it is hot next year there will be a lot of crisp white wines going down."
Sarah Bond, who helped organise the event, was happy with the turnout.
"It's a chance for winemakers to talk and mingle with the people of Albury who maybe haven't made the trip to Rutherglen," she said.
"It's a reminder that Rutherglen is only 30 minutes away and we have some great wines out there.
"This is the first event here and we'll have to have meetings, but I think the consensus is that this is an event that will happen again."
More than 100 local wines were available for tasting from 16 wineries across the Rutherglen area.
Masterclasses were also hosted to help attendees expand their wine knowledge.
Activities including face painting and and petting zoo were also available to keep young people entertained.
