SCION

We recently met with Rowly Milhinch, enthusiastic ‘young gun’ from Scion Vineyard, who along with his mother Jan Milhinch, make some of the most exciting and fresh wines we’ve seen come out of the Rutherglen region.  They’re not without a sense of tradition, though.  Jan and Rowly are descended from G.F. Morris (around in the 1880s), so have roots there since the early wine producing days of Rutherglen.  But both had careers in other arenas (Rowly as a graphic designer – another print and design connection!) before taking a ‘vine change’ in 2002 to establish 8 acres of Durif, Grenache, Orange Muscat, Brown Muscat and Viognier on a quartz-laden red clay slope.  The vineyards are planted to the iconic grapes of the region, but they have opted to articulate the varietal expression in impressively creative ways.  Rowly’s side project, Ron Diamond (its name inspired by a Viagra spam email), is a handpicked, basket-pressed, rather sexy Grenache Cabernet and we eagerly await the next vintage release of the red and Rosé.  Scion positions itself as a tiny, innovative, passionate producer – ticks in all the boxes as far as we’re concerned.