Wine drinking in capital quaffing territory

By SIMON HENDERY

Ken Helm, one of the larger-than-life personalities of the Canberra Wine District, is in his element.

A hen party of eight women - including a veil-wearing bride-to-be - have arrived at Helm Wines and are sitting with the winemaker in a shady yard sampling his 2003 riesling.

"Riesling is the queen of wines," Helm tells the group.

"It's like a woman - if you make one mistake it will never forget it. But treat it well and you'll be well rewarded."

Australian wine guru James Halliday describes Helm as "one of the more stormy petrels of the wine industry". A seasoned local politician, he is never afraid to stick his neck out, and has the gift of the gab.

"You know why winemakers put back labels on our wine bottles?" Helm asks his giggling audience.

"It's in case you go out to dinner with someone boring. It gives you something to read."

He turns to the bride to be: "If your fiance starts reading the back label you'll know it's time to get out!"

A few kilometres down the road at Clonakilla Wines, blurry-eyed winemaker Tim Kirk appears at the cellar door counter and apologises for his unkempt appearance. It is harvest time, when sleep is an elusive luxury in the vineyard.

Founded in 1971, Clonakilla is one of the two oldest wineries in the small but exciting Canberra wine district.

Kirk is a theology graduate who learned winemaking off his father, John Kirk, who established the winery.

A theological grounding can be useful in the wine game, says the younger Kirk, given the power of prayer is often the winemaker's friend.

There are about 25 producers in the Canberra district, which stretches from Canberra and the surrounding fringes of Australia's Capital Territory, north into New South Wales.

Collectively, the cool-climate district produces more than two million bottles of premium wine a year, predominantly chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir.

While Canberra is relatively young as a viticultural area by Australian standards, its wines have been wining major awards for 25 years and production is growing rapidly to meet demand.

In his Australian Wine Companion, Halliday awards Clonakilla's shiraz viognier blend a rare 96 out of 100 rating.

The 2002 vintage sold out long ago, but Kirk takes us out the back to sample the 2003 which is still in barrels. It is delicious - the 7 per cent mix of aromatic white viognier adds an appealing floral bouquet to the shiraz.

The viognier shiraz phenomenon is spreading across Australia as more viognier grapes become available.

"People don't like to be seen to be copying, but they're mad if they don't," says Kirk, before kicking us out of the winery so he can get back to processing a bin of just-picked chardonnay grapes.

Part of the charm of the Canberra district is that its wineries are predominantly small, family-owned businesses - turn up at the cellar door and you are likely to be greeted by the winemakers themselves, such as Helm and Kirk.

But the region's success has also attracted the interest of the large players. One of Australia's largest producers, the Hardy Wine Company, opened the Kamberra Wine Company, in suburban Canberra, four years ago.

Kamberra is an ideal starting point for a wine tourist wanting to get their bearings in the district. It has an on-site restaurant, guided tours of the winery (the region's largest), and a display of wines from all the region's producers.

Its own two labels - the only wines for sale on the site - represent a good cross-section of Canberra's varietal styles.

Australia's capital city may have a reputation as the rather dull, if worthy, home of the country's politicians and national treasures. It is possible, however, to spend several exciting days in this clean, green and disarmingly spacious city of 320,000 without setting foot inside a museum, war memorial or parliamentary building.

To complement the excellent local wines, Canberra has more than 350 restaurants and claims the highest eatery-per-capita ratio in Australia.

How to get there

Qantas offers daily services to Canberra via Sydney from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Economy-class airfares are available from $580 return. For further details call Qantas on 0800 767 400, visit Qantas or see your travel agent.

Where to stay

This city of more than 300,000 has every type of accommodation from backpackers' lodges to the five-star Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

Things to do

Aside from the more than 25 wineries, Canberra offers some formidable cultural attractions that are well worth a visit.

The National Capital Exhibition uses modern technology to tell the fascinating tale of how Australia's capital city was created.

The Australian War Memorial, the National Archives, the National Gallery, the National Library, the National Museum, the National Science and Technology Centre and, of course, Parliament House are all open to visitors.

Where to eat

The choices are mouth-watering, thanks to Canberra's high migrant population, half of whom seem to have settled in the city to open restaurants. Benchmark Wine Bar's menu is superb and the wine list is impressive.

Chairman & Yip's "experimental and bold" fusion cuisine is well worth sampling. It is worth making the 35-minute drive north to Madew Winery for lunch at its acclaimed restaurant.

Sightseeing

A short drive out of town gets you to the top of Mount Ainslie, and a spectacular view of this immaculately planned city.

Most of Canberra's 75 embassies are within a few blocks of Parliament House. The stunning mix of architecture - many celebrating some aspect of their owner's national culture - is well worth a drive around the block.

Visit Canberra

* Simon Hendery visited Canberra courtesy of Qantas, the Australian Tourist Commission, and Australian Capital Tourism.