John Kirk planted his first vines at Murrumbateman in the Canberra District in 1971 and named his winery Clonakilla, meaning 'meadow of the church', after his grandfather's farm in County Clare, Ireland.
Eschewing the traditional Australian Cabernet Shiraz blend, John set about crafting single varietal Shiraz. After a visit to Guigal winery in the Rhône Valley's Côte Rôtie in 1991, John's son Tim returned to Australia and started to experiment in the winery, co-fermenting Shiraz with a small amount of Viognier as he saw in France.
The first vintage was produced in 1992. In 1996, feeling pulled in two directions; Tim left his teaching position at a Jesuit school to permanently take on the winemaking and General Manager roles at his family's estate.
The current Clonakilla portfolio consists of Shiraz, Viognier, Riesling, Chardonnay and a Bordeaux Blend. In 2013, Tim was awarded the coveted title of 'Australian Winemaker of the Year' by Gourmet Traveller magazine and his Shiraz-Viognier is often heralded as one of Australia's great reds.
