Victoria - King of the Rutherglen wine castle shares his favourites
All Saints winemaker, Dan Crane
Louise Johnson
All Saints Estate cellar door, Rutherglen, Victoria [©Peter R. Brown Family Vineyards]
Not all winemakers are born knowing their destiny. Winemaker Dan Crane from All Saints and St Leonards Vineyards in Rutherglen didn’t consider a career in the wine industry until later in life.
“I had never really thought of the wine industry as a career. But, when I found myself at a loose end back in 1990, I took a job stacking shelves in a London bottle-shop, called Oddbins. It was a heady time in the London trade, with Australian wines crashing the old-world party. What I had assumed was a closed industry was in fact very open and welcoming. I applied for the winemaking course at Roseworthy, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
After finishing Roseworthy in 1998, Dan started his winemaking career in earnest, working first in the upper Hunter, and then the Yarra Valley and finding a home appropriate for an English winemaker in the castle at All Saints Rutherglen Estate.
Dan says the 2009 vintage has been a challenge. “But it’s turned out far better than we dared hope. Low yields (with the fruit thinned by mother nature) has left us with very intense characters and colours in the young wines. I’m expecting that some of the wines will be amongst the best we’ve made,” he says.
At the cellar door now he says the 2006 Family Cellar range has been really good, with fantastic reception from their customers.
“We are just about to bottle a barrel-aged blended white from the 08 vintage, which looks very exciting.”
Dan’s Rutherglen favourites
- The Terrace Restaurant at All Saints, of course
- Beaumont’s Cafe– really friendly and with great food
- Wardens at Beechworth – a bit further away in Beechworth but this and the Green Shed, Gigi’s and Provenance leave you spoiled for choice. It’s a foodie heaven.
- Campbells Wines – the best local cellar door (other than ours) and they have the awards to provide it!
A perfect day
"I live in Beechworth, so I know all the great spots in that area. Breakfast in one of the town’s cafés, then a bike ride along the rail trail. In the afternoon you could drive down through the Ironbark forest and visit a few good Rutherglen wineries, then head back up to Mount Pilot to watch the sunset before a great meal at one of Beechworth’ fantastic restaurants."
Regions
- Beechworth (VIC)
- North East Victoria (VIC)
- Rutherglen (VIC)
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