Combining modern knowledge and traditional methods, Anderson Winery is highly regarded in the Rutherglen region. Though one of the smaller wineries in Rutherglen, Anderson Winery boasts a large range of sought-after wines. Howard Anderson has spent his entire working life in the wine industry and was a senior winemaker at Seppelt Great Western for fourteen years. As winemaker and general manager of Rutherglen’s Jolimont Wines, Howard made the first sparkling white and red wines in North-East Victoria in 1986 before moving on to open Anderson Winery.

In 1991, Howard purchased twenty-four hectares of land on Chiltern Road, Rutherglen, before opening the cellar door of Anderson Winery in 1993. In 2023, the Anderson family celebrate their thirtieth year on the vineyard, with Howard and his eldest daughter Christobelle making a formidable father-and-daughter winemaking team. With small-batch wine made on-site, the winery and vineyard was certified sustainable by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia in time for the 2024 vintage.

Anderson Winery specialises in traditionally made sparkling wines, and 2021 marked fifty years of Howard making the variety. Howard and Christobelle’s other passion is full-flavoured yet smooth reds using Rutherglen regional favourites, shiraz and durif, as well as less common varieties such as Tempranillo, Petit verdot & Saperavi. The winery’s low-yielding, unirrigated vineyard, along with the use of hand-picking and gentle basket-pressing, helps to achieve great fruit intensity and richness.

Over the years, the winery has won a multitude of awards. Most recently, top gold for it’s 2021 Cellar Block Saperavi at the 2023 Rutherglen Wine Show and a trophy for its Classic Muscat and gold for both its 2021 Cellar block Shiraz and 2019 Verrier Durif Shiraz at the 2023 Australian Small Winemakers show. The winery also won gold in the Red Wine of Provenance class for their Verrier Durif Shiraz blend (vintages 2019, 2014 & 2008) at the 2023 North East Victorian Wine Challenge.

A visit to the Anderson Winery cellar door ensures that you enter a working winery where visitors can smell the yeast and see the winemaking equipment for making sparkling wine, and the barrels that hold the current vintage. Visitors to the small, hands-on winery will be greeted by someone directly involved in the winemaking process, providing a friendly and personal experience.