Clonakilla’s cellar door comes with an authenticity and charm that many Australian wine producers wish to conjure. The long wooden tasting bar is framed with memorabilia, awards, retro photos and the kind of bric-a-brac that only a generational wine producing family could collect and display. Service is charming and knowledgeable, the glassware is up-market, and the wines are outstanding. So when a recent visit revealed a new cellar door was in construction, it was somewhat bittersweet.
Winemaker Tim Kirk has overseen the design of the new cellar door, fine-tuning facilities to create what will become one of Australia’s supreme spaces for tasting wine. Local stone and wood is sympathetically used to adorn the façade, while the spacious interiors have large windows that frame pleasing views of the vineyards beyond. There’s a fireplace for cooler months, and the various rooms of the cellar door will be used for both casual and formal tasting.
Senior winemaker Bryan Martin seems to have gotten a word in, as the former chef has requested a kitchen worthy of his high-end catering.
Construction was finalised earlier this year, with visitors welcome from mid-March. Mike Bennie