Morris of Rutherglen | Victoria

For over 155 years, the Morris family have earned their position as one of the most prominent winemaking families in Australia, and their name is now synonymous with 'Liqueur Muscat'. Today, David Morris, the fifth generation of the family to run the winery, ensures the Morris name remains one of Australia's most respected.

In 1859, George Francis Morris established a four hectare vineyard and winery near Rutherglen, on ancient red loam over red and yellow podzolic clay soils. By 1885, the plantings had grown to over 80 hectares, making Morris the largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere, but the region's vines were crippled by the spread of phylloxera in 1890. Charles Hugh Morris, son of George, established a new vineyard close to the original plantings in 1897, selling his prize-winning horse to develop the winery. The show jumping horse on the label remains the company's logo to this day. Charles Tempest Morris took over operations in the 1930s to guide the company through the depression and war, and his son Charles Henry Morris became head winemaker in 1953. Charles' son David took over the reins in 1993. Casella Family Brands, also the owner of Peter Lehmann Wines, acquired Morris Wines in 2016.

The Morris vineyards and winery are situated to the east of Rutherglen, where the climate is warmer and drier. Historically, this resulted in riper grapes, which in turn yielded richer and denser wines. Today, they are better able to control the style of the wines, but Morris still remains in the 'sweet and rich' camp of Rutherglen wine production.