menu2. Pioneers of the Canberra District
The Seventh University House Wine Symposium coincided with the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of the first of the now more than 30 commercial wineries and more than 150 vineyards that make up the Canberra District. The district is recognised, both nationally and internationally, as one of Australia’s significant cool-climate wine regions, and the organising committee for the symposium was delighted that three of the district’s pioneers—John Kirk, Edgar Riek and Ken Helm—were able to attend the symposium as guests of honour.
John Kirk established Clonakilla in the Murrumbateman area in 1971, planting several different varieties and, in 1976, selling the first commercial wines to be produced in the Canberra District in the modern era. Clonakilla produces a range of wines, with the Shiraz and, in particular, the Shiraz-Viognier blend—pioneered by John’s son Tim, now Clonakilla’s CEO and Chief Winemaker—being the flagship for the winery, and to some extent for the district as a whole.
Also in 1971, Edgar Riek established his vineyard at the edge of Lake George and, over the following years, planted a wide range of varieties. Wine was produced initially under the Cullarin Cellars label, and, later, in the early 1980s, under the Lake George label. The Lake George Winery has now changed hands, but continues to make wine from some of the oldest vines in the district.
In 1973 Ken Helm, with his wife, Judith, established Helm Wines in the Murrumbateman area, and it has forged an outstanding reputation for Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular. Ken himself has been a passionate advocate for Riesling, locally, nationally and internationally, instigating the Canberra International Riesling Challenge, which is held annually and is the largest competition of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
John Kirk, Ken Helm and Edgar Riek
