Clonakilla

Clonakilla is best known for putting the Australian town of Canberra on the map as a wine producing region. It was the brainchild of Irish immigrant John Kirk, who moved to Canberra in 1971, purchased a farm on 16 hectares (40 acres) of land and began to plant vineyards. The first plantings were of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and, today, also include Viognier, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Chardonnay.

The Canberra district, as part of the wider Southern New South Wales zone, has a relatively cool climate compared to much of the rest of Australia. Clonakilla's vineyards are divided into two sections: the elevated vineyards, which produce grapes with austerity and florality, and the vineyards on the plains, which produce fruit that is more powerful and concentrated. The diversity of these plots give Clonakilla a wide range of flavor characteristics to draw from.

Shiraz was first planted at Clonakilla in 1972. It was traditionally blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, as was the fashion in Australia at the time. However, by 1990 it was found to be performing so well in the vineyards that the winemakers decided to bottle it separately. In 1992, after John Kirk's son had visited the Rhône Valley, the winemakers at Clonakilla decided to try and co-ferment Shiraz alongside Viognier as they did in the northern Rhône. Today this Shiraz – Viognier blend is the prestige cuvée of the estate, and the grapes that produce this wine come from the finest plots in the Clonakilla Murrumbateman vineyards. The two grapes are always co-fermented and the resulting wine is rich, deep and dark with notes of white pepper, black fruits and sweet white flowers.

The Murrumbateman vineyard is also well suited to Riesling, as its granite soils and cool climate ripen the grape perfectly. In 2015, the 40th vintage of Clonakilla Riesling from the Murrumbateman vineyards was released.

An interesting innovation of Clonakilla is the release of its Viognier Nouveau, first seen in the 2014 vintage. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and then released without age, in a fresh and vibrant style.