Zippy And Racy
The Age
Wednesday October 15, 2003
Wine - Clonakilla Riesling 2003
Chosen by - Nicole Tuckwell, sales manager Torbreck wines
Price - about $25
Available - Randall, The Wine Merchant, Albert Park
When it comes to wines from the nation's capital, the name John Kirk is synonymous with the very best. Or rather, his small family-run winery known as Clonakilla is, and Kirk is regarded as a pioneer - he was one of the first to plant vines in the region.
That was 1971, and since then, Clonakilla - meaning "meadow of the church" and named after Kirk's grandfather's farm in County Clare - has established itself as a producer of stunning wines with shiraz-viognier its flagship.
Since 1996, Kirk's fourth son, Tim, has been at the helm of Clonakilla, at Murrumbateman, both as winemaker and manager. Before that, Tim was a theology teacher in Melbourne but soon realised winemaking was really his calling - "a passion and a dream come true."
While Burgundian and Rhone valley winemaking techniques are "unashamedly" adopted for the shiraz-viognier, a wine well worth seeking out, in Masterclass today we look at Clonakilla's riesling, which seems to be going from strength to strength. Tim is particularly pleased with the 2003 riesling considering it's a drought vintage. "If any grape shows the effects of drought, it's riesling. But the February rains saved the vines and the result is this lovely aromatic wine." Apart from the drought, Tim also had to contend with the bushfires. Last summer's fires came dangerously close to Clonakilla but, he says, at the last minute the weather changed and the vines were not affected by either smoke or ash.
For several years, Nicole Tuckwell has been a fan of Clonakilla wines and was keen to taste the riesling. In summer, Canberra can swelter during the day then cool down rapidly at night. Such a climate is perfect for riesling, and "with those cool nights and hot days, riesling gets an array of flavours. That's what's so attractive about this wine," she says.
It has a lovely lemony colour with a light green tinge. And smelling it, coming to the fore are not only ripe lemony, floral aromatics but some stony, minerally flavours. This is a really fresh and lovely wine.
"It's an inviting wine. What you don't want in a riesling is all acid. This wine has natural acid and is balanced. There's a lot of citrus and lime peel flavours making the Clonakilla zippy and racy, and that really gets the tastebuds started."
Try the Clonakilla with Japanese food, particularly sushi and sashimi, poached white fish, Thai food or savoury tarts.
-- jfaulkner@theage.com.au
© 2003 The Age
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