2006 Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier

Clonakilla is a Canberra producer with Irish roots. It was founded in 1971 by John Kirk. Kirk is an Irish biochemist who moved his family to Australia in 1968 to take a research job in Canberra. Because he had helped in the bar at his family’s modest hotel in County Clare, Kirk was interested in wine. In Canberra he bought a 44-acre farm as a weekend pastime and named it Clonakilla after his grandfather’s farm in County Clare. By 1976 Kirk was producing wine commercially and he built a winery in 1977. The reds and white made at Clonakilla have won praise and awards nationally and internationally. Today the estate is run by John’s son Tim Kirk, who is also winemaker. The 33-acre estate produces a Shiraz Viognier that in 2009 was named Wine of the Year in Australia’s most prestigious wine competition, The Australian Wine Annual. Clonakilla also makes Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir. James Halliday has awarded this winery 5 stars, his highest rating, and noted that “It is not at all surprising that the quality of the wines is excellent, especially the Shiraz Viognier, which has paved the way for numerous others to follow, but remains the icon. Demand for the wines outstrips supply.”

New South Wales is the birthplace of Australia’s wine industry. Wine grapes were planted there in the late 18th century by the governor of the colony, but wine wasn’t successfully produced until the early 19th century when James Busby brought 600 vine samples from across Europe and figured how to make them thrive. He wrote an influential manual for growing wine grapes and winemaking and by the mid-19th century wines from New South Wales were earning awards at wine expositions in Paris. Perhaps surprisingly, a sparkling wine from New South Wales particularly appealed to the French. Today the 309,000 square-mile region is home to Sydney and Australia’s largest concentration of consumers, making New South Wales a perennially bustling region for new wine startups and innovation. The Hunter Valley is the most prestigious wine sub region in New South Wales, while some other parts of New South Wales produce mostly mass market, boxed wines. There are many microclimates in New South Wales, from the maritime climates on the Pacific Coast to high elevation, cooler climates and hot, high humidity climates. About 30% of all the wine made in Australia comes from New South Wales. Many grapes are grown here, from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Semillon.