Subzero Merlot
RUTHERGLEN, VIC – What Howard Anderson and his daughter Christobelle don’t know about Methode Champenoise you could write on a grape. These two oenologists (flash term for wine experts) make one of Australia’s few on-site champagne ranges, not that I can say champagne. (But it bubbles and pops, it’s won prizes and it’s not Pepsi Max.)
For all that, the strangest feature of Anderson Winery is its above-ground cellar. Rather than dig down, the oenologists used massive coolroom panels to build up, creating the world’s largest esky for wine storage and s-s-s-sales. [Roughly two kilometres from Rutherglen, heading towards Chiltern along Chiltern Road. Phone 02-6032-8111 or check out their site at http://www.andersonwinery.bigstep.com/homepage.html ]