Irish scientist uncorks success as Canberra’s founding winemaker

When John Kirk came to Canberra from Ireland in 1968 he was surprised to find there were no vineyards in the region. The biochemist considered the climate similar to that of Bordeaux and so planted the region’s first vines near Murrumbateman in 1971. “As soon as we experienced the Canberra environment, I started asking, ‘why aren’t their vineyards here’,” Dr Kirk told 666 ABC Mornings. “I was always told, ‘Oh, it’s too cold in Canberra; you can’t grow vines there’. Well I didn’t believe that.”