Canberra District riesling
Tim Kirk of Clonakilla
The layers of the Canberra wine region
Fiona Wholohan of Yarrh
50 year old Canberra District vines
Alex McKay of Collector
The ancient granite soils of the Canberra wine region
Celine Rousseau of Eden Road
Canberra District shiraz
Ken Helm of Helm
Ancient Country, Inspired Wines: the terroir and winemaking of the Canberra District wine region
About
Throughout 2021 - vintage/harvest, the pandemic and lockdowns - I've been busily working on a labour of love. It's a been huge pleasure to bring this mini documentary to you.
The Canberra wine region is known for producing world-class wines. When you think about other premium wine regions of the world, they have hundreds of years of history and a deep understanding of their terroir and the winemaking practices that showcase that terroir.
The Canberra wine region turns 50 this year, which in comparison is just a flash in the pan. I wanted to know, why are we producing such incredible wine? What have we learnt over the past 50 years that's given us an understanding of this region and our vines? What will the next 50 years bring?
I partnered with talented Canberra videographer Sammy Hawker to explore these questions. This project was generously supported by a grant from Visit Canberra.
Online launch: documentary and wine tasting
The mini documentary was launched online on 5 November 2021 to a Canberran, Australian, and international audience. It included a screening of the documentary and a Q&A with winemakers Alex McKay, Celine Rousseau, Fiona Wholohan, Ken Helm, Nick O'Leary, and Tim Kirk.
Throughout the launch, attendees sipped on premium riesling and shiraz from the six wineries featured: Clonakilla, Collector, Eden Road, Helm, Nick O'Leary and Yarrh. Tasting packs included a native spice rub and recipe suggestion designed to pair with the wines, from local Ngunawal-country based business Tukka By The Bush. The spice mix was named the Napatji Napatji Bush blend - napatji (nah-par-tjee, Pitjantjatjara) is about sharing with friends, helping one another, reciprocity style.
Purchase the wines selected for the online launch from Canberra Wine and Spirit Merchants (ships to Australia):
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2019
Collector Reserve Shiraz 2015
Eden Road Canberra Syrah 2019
Helm Premium Riesling 2021
Nick O'Leary Heywood Riesling 2021
Yarrh Riesling 2019