When he returned to the beautiful South Australian Clare Valley as a trained oenologist, he had a clear vision: he wanted to start his own winery and make his own wines. In 1997, he had the opportunity to buy the Kilikanoon estate. And then Kevin Mitchell got going.
They produced 2,000 bottles from the 1997 vintage using grapes from the two vineyards owned by Kevin and his father Mort and created four wines: Mort’s Block Riesling, Prodigal Grenache, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Shiraz. In the years that followed, Kevin Mitchell and his partners expanded the operation by continuously purchasing additional vineyards. Nothing has changed about the quality requirements and the careful work methods since his start in 1997, only the quantities. More than 600,000 bottles of Kilikanoon were produced in 2012, mainly from the finest fruit from the vineyards of the Kilikanoon Group, which now owns over 1,200-hectares of vineyards in the best wine regions of South Australia. Kevin Mitchell’s philosophy was, and continues to be, to make wine from the best grapes, regardless of where they grow. Accordingly, he also produces sparkling wine in cooperation with the Maison Greffe in Vouvray along the Loire River, and Syrah along the Rhône River in cooperation with the Cave de Tain.
This is not the work of one person. Kevin Mitchell is supported by his wife Kathleen, who is also from a winegrowing family in the Clare Valley. The two have four children, but non-relatives become like family when sharing a similar passion. In 2001, Kevin Mitchell partnered with Nathan Waks, then principal cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Harding, then Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony, and Bruce Baudinet, an experienced manager. These vastly different careers came together at Kilikanoon for the enjoyment of and the passion for wine.
Damien Mannix, who works in the Kilikanoon cellar, gets to the heart of the matter: “If you find a job you love, then you’ll never work another day in your life.”
Information
Kilikanoon
Penna Lane
Penwortham via Clare SA 5453
Australia
Tel.: +61 8 8843 4206
Fax: +61 8 8843 4246
Kontakt in Deutschland:
Winestyle Australia
Bismarckplatz 8
47799 Krefeld
Tel. +49 2151 207627
Fax +49 2151 207628