Australia’s hidden wine treasures

Singapore’s wine lovers know Australia better than most. Frequent flights leave Changi for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, all of which have famous vineyards on their doorstep – perfect for divine tastings, long lunches and plenty of selfies. But venture beyond the most familiar places and there is even more to discover.

At a recent Bi-monthly Australian Wine tasting at Praelum Wine Bistro in Singapore, one producer from the Mudgee and two producers from the Rutherglen regions demonstrated exactly that. These regions, respectively in New South Wales and Victoria, have long viticultural history but still fly under the radar. As a result, their wines can achieve superlative quality – while remaining significantly undervalued. Bunnamagoo in Mudgee demonstrates this capably. Since 1995, this vineyard has quietly developed a range of wine that showcases the region’s diversity.

As well as classic Chardonnay and Shiraz, they make Tempranillo and Sangiovese – the star grapes of Rioja and Chianti – plus a champagne-style sparkling. Creating authentic renditions of such different styles is no mean feat, especially when you consider that the 2025 vintage was their first-ever release of Sangiovese. Bunnamagoo is owned by the Paspaley family, who have both the ambition and the resources to grow the brand to greatness. Tasting their 2018 Blanc de Blancs and their 2022 Paspaley Reserve Chardonnay shows that several of their wines have already achieved it. Such discoveries make the four-hour drive from Sydney entirely worthwhile – especially if you time it to coincide with the Flavours of Mudgee festival in late September.

Meanwhile, three hours northeast of Melbourne is the Rutherglen region, which makes a style of wine that is unique not just to Australia, but the entire world. Made from Muscadelle and Muscat, the wines are sweet and fortified. By ripening the grapes until they shrivel on the vine, briefly fermenting them before fortifying with 96% abv grape spirit, then thermo-maturing them in oak casks, the resulting liquid is nothing less than a magic potion. Pfeiffer and Chambers Rosewood are both exemplars of the style, creating miraculously intense, sweet and profound wines. Tasting the Chambers Old Vine Classic and the Pfeiffer Grand Muscat underlines why they are seen as benchmarks for the quality and complexity that Rutherglen can achieve.

With viticulture dating back almost 200 years, Rutherglen is one of the pioneer sites of Australian wine, which they celebrate during Taste of Rutherglen every March. Not only are these lesser-known wines delicious, but visiting their vineyards gives that frisson of discovery that wine lovers thirst for.

Richard Hemming, Master of Wine richardhemmingmw.com