- Clonakilla
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Clonakilla is an Australian winery based in the Canberra wine region of Murrumbateman, New South Wales.
Contents
History
Dr. John Kirk immigrated to Australia from Ireland to work as a research scientist at the CSIRO in 1968.[1][2] In 1971, he founded Clonakilla, named after the farm owned by his grandfather in Ireland.[3][4][5] The name of the winery translates to "meadow of the church".[6]
Clonakilla was the first commercial winery to open in the region[7] and John Kirk is often referred to as the "father" of the wine industry in the area.[2] The first wines from the estate, a Riesling and a Cabernet Shiraz[8] were produced in 1976 after initial difficulties with droughts and lack of irrigation.[9][2] Like almost all the wineries in the Canberra district, it is not based in the Australian Capital Territory but across the border in New South Wales.[9][10] This is due to the leasehold land system in the A.C.T which means a business can only lease land from the government and not own it.[11]
After teaching religious education with Jesuits at Xavier College in Melbourne and spending holidays helping at the winery, John's fourth son, Tim Kirk, joined the winery full time in 1996.[3][1] Tim is currently the chief winemaker and in 2009 was appointed CEO.[12][13]
Wines
The Canberra wine region is a cool climate area and the wines produced by Clonakilla reflect this. Around 10,000 to 12,000 cases of wine are produced each year.[12]
The flagship wine is the Shiraz Viognier blend, produced from a selection of the best grapes in a single twelve hectare vineyard.[14][15] The two grape types in this wine are co-fermented, with around five to ten percent Viognier and the rest Shiraz, depending on vintage conditions.[3][1] This wine was first produced by Clonakilla in 1992 after Tim Kirk had spent time in the northern Rhone Valley, specifically visiting Guigal, and he decided that it was a style that he wanted to emulate and that it would be well suited to the Canberra region.[9][1][16] The Shiraz Viognier is described by James Halliday as having "icon status"[17] and as being the best example of this wine style in Australia.[18] Jancis Robinson has identified it as the "pioneer" of the blend in Australia.[19] It was recognised at the Outstanding level of the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine in 2005,[20] and was elevated to the highest level of "Exceptional" in 2010.[14]
Other red wines produced include two more Shiraz Viognier blends - an entry-level wine called "Hilltops", and the "O'Riada", named after Irish composer Seán Ó Riada, which sits in between the Hilltops and the flagship Shiraz Viognier[21] as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend called "Ballinderry".[22] There was also an experimental straight Shiraz released in 2006 and 2008 that spent an extra year in oak.[15]
Clonakilla produces a number of white wines as well - Riesling, a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend as well as two straight Viogniers are made, with one Viognier bottling aged in stainless steel and the other aged in oak.[3][21]
The logo displayed on the label of all the Clonakilla wines comes from the Book of Durrow, a seventh century manuscript.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "The wonderful wines of Clonakilla in Canberra". Green and Blue Wines. 2010-05-04. http://www.greenandbluewines.com/index.php/The-wonderful-wines-of-Clonakilla-in-Canberra.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b c Cooke, Graham (2001-10-15). "Man who fathered Canberra's wine industry". Canberra Times. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/man-who-fathered-canberras-wine-industry/386366.aspx?storypage=0. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b c d e "From Clare to there - The Irish Times Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge". It.tmcnet.com. 2006-02-18. http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2006/02/18/1385440.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Clack, Peter (2002-10-08). "Canberra District Shiraz Takes out Wine of the Year Award". Canberra Times. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/canberra-district-shiraz-takes-out-wine-of-the-year-award/514546.aspx?storypage=1. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Stateline - Wine Harvest". Abc.net.au. 2007-03-30. http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/act/content/2006/s1887329.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Meacham, Steve (2007-06-16). "Hunter Now the Hunted". Melbourne: The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/wines-regions/hunter-now-the-hunted/2007/06/14/1181414442303.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Canberra at the heart of wine industry". NZHerald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/holidays/news/article.cfm?c_id=224&objectid=196612. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Clarke, Oz (2005). Oz Clarke's Australian Wine Companion. Mariner Books. p. 97. ISBN 978-0156030250.
- ^ a b c "Canberra - Australian Politics and wines of unusual subtlety". Jancis Robinson. http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/jr877.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Sydney Morning Herald - Journey around NSW, a state of grapes". Smh.com.au. 2005-03-07. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Food--Wine/Journey-around-NSW-a-state-of-grapes/2005/02/19/1108709483570.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Meeting Place". Wine Pages. 2000-09-25. http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/meeting.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b Clonakilla.com.au - Our Story
- ^ Wine Companion - Up with the best
- ^ a b "Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier Canberra District ACT". Langtons.com.au. http://www.langtons.com.au/Wine/ClassificationPopup.aspx?prodid=17334. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b "Langton's Magazine - THE CLONAKILLA DILEMMA". Langtons.com.au. http://www.langtons.com.au/Magazine/Mattinson.aspx?MagazineId=109. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "National Liquor News - Southern Highlights". Foodwinetravel.com.au. http://www.foodwinetravel.com.au/CanberraWine.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Halliday, James (2004). Varietal Wines. Collins. p. 223. ISBN 0-7322-7839-2.
- ^ "Clonakilla rating and review". Wine Companion. http://www.winecompanion.com.au/wineries/1085/Clonakilla. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "New South Wales Tasting Notes & Wine Reviews". Jancis Robinson. http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a20080905.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Out with the old". Melbourne: The Age. 2005-08-02. http://www.theage.com.au/news/epicure/out-with-the-old/2005/08/01/1122748558319.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b "The Age - Shiraz with Dash". Melbourne: Newsstore.theage.com.au. 2009-08-15. http://newsstore.theage.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=5F1CD866AEC41A1E94CFCD65BBD1C2FD?page=1&sy=age&kw=clonakilla&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1year&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=AGE090815LB61T66QHBG. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "The wines of Clonakilla". Wine Anorak. http://www.wineanorak.com/barossa/clonakilla.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
External links
Categories:- Wineries in New South Wales
- Companies established in 1971
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