National wine-making awards, a battery of gold medals from Friday's Canberra and Region Wine Show and a perfect weather forecast are tipped to make next weekend's Murrumbateman Moving Feast one for the record books.
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Ken Helm, the visionary winemaker whose decision to plant vines near the country village four decades ago and gave birth to an industry now worth more than $30 million a year, said the Canberra winemaking region had come of age.
''We are not Australia's largest wine-producing region but we are recognised as one of Australia's premium quality wine-producing regions,'' he told Fairfax on Sunday.
This sentiment was echoed by Clonakilla winemaker, Tim Kirk, who was named Gourmet Traveller's winemaker of the year earlier in the week. 2013 marked his third nomination for the award.
''Murrumbateman is a [wine] secret that is slowly being revealed,'' he said. ''Every year the roots of those vines we first planted over 20 years ago are pushing deeper and deeper down into the decomposed granite. There is a mystery at work; the vines are the mouthpiece for the landscape and they give it a voice.''
Mr Kirk believes the award specifically acknowledges Clonakilla's signature wine, the acclaimed shiraz viognier, which is now entering its 21st year.
Gourmet Traveller judging panel chairman Peter Forrestal said that wine was Mr Kirk's crowning achievement. ''It is a world class red,'' he said.
Mr Helm said the award was good for the entire region. ''Tim has been a finalist [for this award] three times,'' he said. ''Every time he has been a finalist he has focused the wine world's attention on the quality of local winemaking.''
''Chuffed,'' was Mr Helm's response when asked to describe his response to the progress of the industry he had acted as midwife to over 40 years ago.
''I am here [running tastings] almost every day and you are dealing with people from outside the area and outside Canberra as often as not,'' he said.
Mr Helm was back at his ''desk'' on Sunday, pouring tastes for visitors to try, and seemingly unaffected by having picked up another gold medal, this one for his 2013 Classic Dry Riesling, at Friday night's Canberra wine show presentation.
Medals were awarded to 21 of the entries in a class of 25, a result Mr Helm said was exceptional and recognised the quality of wines being produced in a region that has achieved international renown for its rieslings.
■ To find out more about next weekend's moving feast see: makersofmurrumbateman.org.au
