Clonakilla
Encyclopedia
Clonakilla is an Australian wine
ry based in the Canberra wine region
of Murrumbateman, New South Wales
.
Clonakilla was the first commercial winery to open in the region and John Kirk is often referred to as the "father" of the wine industry in the area. The first wines from the estate, a Riesling and a Cabernet Shiraz were produced in 1976 after initial difficulties with droughts and lack of irrigation. 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. 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.
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. Tim is currently the chief winemaker and in 2009 was appointed CEO.
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.
The flagship wine is the Shiraz Viognier
blend, produced from a selection of the best grapes in a single twelve hectare vineyard. 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. 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. The Shiraz Viognier is described by James Halliday as having "icon status" and as being the best example of this wine style in Australia. Jancis Robinson
has identified it as the "pioneer" of the blend in Australia. It was recognised at the Outstanding level of the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine in 2005, and was elevated to the highest level of "Exceptional" in 2010.
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 as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon
, Cabernet Franc
and Merlot
blend called "Ballinderry". There was also an experimental straight Shiraz released in 2006 and 2008 that spent an extra year in oak.
Clonakilla produces a number of white wines as well - Riesling
, a Semillon
-Sauvignon Blanc
blend as well as two straight Viognier
s are made, with one Viognier bottling aged in stainless steel and the other aged in oak.
The logo displayed on the label of all the Clonakilla wines comes from the Book of Durrow
, a seventh century manuscript.
Australian wine
The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...
ry based in the Canberra wine region
Canberra wine region
The Canberra District wine region is located around Canberra, in the Capital city of Australia.Wine is grown and produced at or near and in a triangular area of about 60 km sides bordered by Canberra, Yass, and Bungendore, taking in the important localities of Murrumbateman and Lake...
of Murrumbateman, New South Wales
Murrumbateman, New South Wales
Murrumbateman is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Barton Highway, approximately 30 kilometres north-west of Canberra, and is part of the Yass Valley Shire. At the 2006 census, Murrumbateman had a population of 1,758 people.Some of the...
.
History
Dr. John Kirk immigrated to Australia from Ireland to work as a research scientist at the CSIRO in 1968. In 1971, he founded Clonakilla, named after the farm owned by his grandfather in Ireland. The name of the winery translates to "meadow of the church".Clonakilla was the first commercial winery to open in the region and John Kirk is often referred to as the "father" of the wine industry in the area. The first wines from the estate, a Riesling and a Cabernet Shiraz were produced in 1976 after initial difficulties with droughts and lack of irrigation. Like almost all the wineries in the Canberra district, it is not based in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
but across the border in New South Wales. 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.
After teaching religious education with Jesuits at Xavier College
Xavier College
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in Melbourne and spending holidays helping at the winery, John's fourth son, Tim Kirk, joined the winery full time in 1996. Tim is currently the chief winemaker and in 2009 was appointed CEO.
Wines
The Canberra wine regionCanberra wine region
The Canberra District wine region is located around Canberra, in the Capital city of Australia.Wine is grown and produced at or near and in a triangular area of about 60 km sides bordered by Canberra, Yass, and Bungendore, taking in the important localities of Murrumbateman and Lake...
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.
The flagship wine is the Shiraz Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
blend, produced from a selection of the best grapes in a single twelve hectare vineyard. The two grape types in this wine are co-fermented
Co-fermentation
Co-fermentation is the practice in winemaking of fermenting two or more grape varieties at the same time when producing a wine. This differs from the more common practice of blending separate wine components into a cuvée after fermentation...
, with around five to ten percent Viognier and the rest Shiraz, depending on vintage conditions. This wine was first produced by Clonakilla in 1992 after Tim Kirk had spent time in the northern Rhone Valley
Côte-Rôtie AOC
Côte-Rôtie is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône wine region of France. The vineyards are located just south of Vienne in the communes of Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône, Ampuis, and Tupin-et-Semons. The vineyards are unique because of their vertical slopes and their stone...
, specifically visiting Guigal
Guigal
Guigal, formally Établissements Guigal, is a winery and négociant business situated in Ampuis in the northern part of the Rhône region in France. Guigal produces wine from appellations across the Rhône region, but is particularly noted for their Côte-Rôtie wines and played a pioneering role in...
, and he decided that it was a style that he wanted to emulate and that it would be well suited to the Canberra region. The Shiraz Viognier is described by James Halliday as having "icon status" and as being the best example of this wine style in Australia. Jancis Robinson
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...
has identified it as the "pioneer" of the blend in Australia. It was recognised at the Outstanding level of the Langton's Classification of Australian Wine in 2005, and was elevated to the highest level of "Exceptional" in 2010.
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
Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
, which sits in between the Hilltops and the flagship Shiraz Viognier as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
and Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
blend called "Ballinderry". There was also an experimental straight Shiraz released in 2006 and 2008 that spent an extra year in oak.
Clonakilla produces a number of white wines as well - Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, a Semillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
-Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
blend as well as two straight Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
s are made, with one Viognier bottling aged in stainless steel and the other aged in oak.
The logo displayed on the label of all the Clonakilla wines comes from the Book of Durrow
Book of Durrow
The Book of Durrow is a 7th-century illuminated manuscript gospel book in the Insular style. It was probably created between 650 and 700, in Northumbria in Northern England, where Lindisfarne or Durham would be the likely candidates, or on the island of Iona in the Scottish Inner Hebrides...
, a seventh century manuscript.