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JINKS CREEK WINERY - is situated in a green
wedge environmental zone on the edge of the
Bunyip State Park. The unique and rustic surroundings
at the foothills of the picturesque Black Snake
Ranges in Tonimbuk are home to kangaroos, wild
deer and a myriad of bird life, reflecting the
largely organic philosophy of the owners, Abi
and Andrew Clarke.
Winemaker Andrew Clarke was the second recipient
of a winemaking scholarship from the Victorian
Wine Industry Association in 1979, and the first
to bravely plant a vineyard in West Gippsland
in the 1970's. After working in wineries in
California and France, and learning from Australian
industry icons Brown Brothers and Rick Kinzbrunner
of Giaconda, Andrew decided to branch out and
create his own label, originally making Jinks
Creek wine from an old apple shed, which was
upgraded to a new winery in 2003.
As
a winemaker and viticulturalist trained in the
French style, Andrew likes to reflect the terroir
of the vineyard where possible, so has adopted
a philosophy of minimal interference regarding
fertilizing and irrigation of the granite soil.
This philosophy is maintained in his winemaking
methods with minimal inputs, lots of solids,
some wild ferments and minimal filtration. The
method uses open-top fermenters, basket-pressing
and top-quality French oak, yet the character
of each wine is entirely different and demonstrates
the true meaning of "terroir" in Victoria.
As part of his aim, in addition to his own plantings
of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignoon Balnc
and Pinot Gris, Andrew has created a tripartite
range of 3 Shiraz made from grapes sourced from
the different Victorian regions of Longford
(East Gippsland), the Yarra Valley and Heathcote.
Now
rated at 5-stars by James Halliday, and reviewed
with marks over 90 by American wine guru Robert
Parker Jnr, Jinks Creek Winery has an exclusive
boutique appeal. The wine is sold in top restaurants
in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with export
sales to New York and Singapore and more recently
to France and the U.K.
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