As I travel throughout Asia I enjoy bumping into winery folks from far and wide and learning about how they are developing Far Eastern sales for their wines.  It's not easy making inroads in these emerging markets that are often still struggling to find a place for wine in the everyday cultures.  A handy How to Sell Wine in Asia guide would go-down well.  As yet none exists but at least the trailblazing adventures of producers do give me the opportunity to share some fascinating stories of their trails and tribulations when searching for successful partnerships in the wild East.

Over a dinner during our visit to Seoul, Bob Parker handed me a greetings message he'd received from Nathan Waks, part owner and director of Kilikanoon wines in Australia.  Nathan had travelled to Seoul to attend one of Parker's events at The Shilla Hotel featuring his wine within the line-up.  Not one to leave a stone unturned, I gave Nathan a bell and arranged to meet him for an interview to discover more about his wines and his business adventures in Asia.

Kilikanoon's Nathan Waks

"If you're in a hurry you'll be disappointed, if you take a long view Asia can be very rewarding," Nathan began as he uncorked and unscrewed a range of his current releases available in South Korea for a tasting to accompany our chat.  He has steadily been plugging away at the key markets here for a few years now.  Last year he connected with the wine distributor Doosan in South Korea, a company which he tells me has increased its wine focus by recently selling off the liquor arm of its business to Lotte.

Based in South Australia's Clare Valley, Kilikanoon is a small to medium sized winery by Australian standards producing around 50,000 cases per annum.  Currently about 15% of production is exported to Asia but Nathan is expecting this to soon increase to 25% prompted by his concerted efforts and frequent visits.  Countries that distribute Kilikanoon now include Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, China and South Korea.  Thanks to recent listings for The Lackey and Killerman's Run at eMart and Tesco in South Korea, this country has just shot to the top of the list as his largest market in Asia.

"I've found the promotion of our wines in Asia easier than anticipated," he commented.  "Of course some people will only buy Bordeaux but there are enough other people who are guided by educators such as Bob and you.  Our wines show well compared with wines of an equal stature from France."  And I can attest to this claim having witnessed the seamless transition during our gala dinner between iconic Grand Cru Classe French wines and Kilikanoon's Green's Vineyard Shiraz.

Distribution aspirations may already be astutely trained on the emerging wine markets of the Far East, yet Kilikanoon is rather a newcomer to the wine scene itself.  The winery was only established in 1998 by Kevin Mitchell, a man with a vision that was realized in that fateful year when he found and purchased 10 acres of prime, established vineyards that managed to tick all his dream-vineyard boxes.  Eleven years on, Kilikanoon is comprised of 100 acres on the "golden hillside" of Clare Valley.

In 2000 Nathan joined Kevin's venture as a partner in the business.  "I always loved wine," he explains.  Like many of us in the wine trade, Nathan fell into wine from another art.  "I first discovered wine working as an au pair boy in Paris when I was 17."  An accomplished cellist, Nathan studied music at the acclaimed Conservetoire de Paris where he also forged a passion for the French lifestyle, which naturally included wine.

The cello still plays a role, albeit minor, in his new career – Nathan can be coaxed to provide command performances at Kilikanoon's promotional dinners, which give consumers the opportunity to absorb the story and culture of the wines.  "In terms of marketing in Asia, we find these wine dinners work best," he adds.

The emphasis at Kilikanoon is on Shiraz, though Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Riesling and Semillon are also produced.  I noticed during our tasting a particular purity to Kilikanoon's wines that constituted a discernable signature style.  Nathan explained that their focus is for the most part just that: single grape wines that demonstrate varietal purity.  Hand and hand with this is the winery's pursuit of optimal fruit ripeness with a goal of true cultivar expression.  Though completely unintentional, I believe this philosophy of Kilikanoon sits very well with many of the intellectual and stylistic pursuits across the cultures of Asia.  

Equally as exciting as the wines of Kilikanoon is a new acquisition by Nathan and Kevin: Seppeltsfield.  Established in 1851, this 200 acre estate is a neighbour of high profile wineries Torbreck and Greenock Green.  Yet Seppeltsfield is not so much a winery as a wine museum.  Here exquisite Muscat, tawny port style and sherry style wines have been painstakingly crafted and matured since the winery's inception, destined to be bottled only after 100 years in cask. 
"We do have traditions in Australia," Nathan points out, referring to Australia's port and sherry styles.  "They may have come from Europe originally but they've evolved into our own." 

Nathan informed me that they are looking to release the Seppeltsfield wines in half bottles.  They're also putting together 100 sets of beautifully packaged 100 ml bottles, each set containing 30 different dated examples from this incredible collection of fortified wines.  Coming soon to a market near you, these are some truly unique, original wine artefacts to seek out and savour.  I was fortunate enough to sample a few of these wines and have included the tasting notes below.

Tasting Notes

The Lackey 2006 Shiraz
South Australia (for export only)
86 points
Deep garnet colour.  Pure blackberry and black pepper aromas on the nose.  Full bodied with medium+ acidity and a medium level of velvety tannins.  Long peppery finish.  Drink now to 2011.  Tasted February 2009.

Kilikanoon Killerman's Run Shiraz 2005
South Australia
89 points
Very deep garnet-black colour.  Warm blackberry, cassis and eucalyptus notes starting to evolve into dried plums.  Medium+ acidity and a soft to medium level of silky tannins.  Long spicy finish.  Drink now to 2011.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon "The Medley" 2005
Barossa / Clare Valley
91 points
Deep garnet colour with a bit of brick in the rim.  Meaty, warm blackberry aromas on the nose with a touch of liquorice and mint.  Medium level of silky tannins and medium+ acidity.  Good balance.  Long savoury finish.  Drink now to 2012.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon's Killerman's Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
South Australia
87 points
Deep garnet colour with a bit of brick in the rim.  Intensely fruited nose of warm cassis, dark cherry and some spearmint.  Medium+ level of finely grained tannins, plenty of concentrated fruit and medium-high acid to balance.  Medium to long finish.  Drink now to 2012.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon's Block's Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Clare Valley
86 points
Very deep garnet-brick colour.  Pure cassis and black olive fruit is a little shrouded by a whiff of capsicum.  Some evolving notes of leather.  The palate has a nice medium to high level of refreshing acidity but the fruit is drying out a little.  Medium+ level of chewy tannins, medium to long finish.  Drink now.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon Covenant Shiraz 2004
Clare Valley
89 points
Very deep garnet-brick colour.  Dried plums, five-spice and dried herb aromas with a hint of menthol.  Medium+ grippy tannins and medium to high acidity.  Long finish.  Drink now to 2012.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon Oracle Shiraz 2004
Clare Valley
91 points
Very deep garnet-black.  Tons of warm blackberry and cassis aromas with a wonderful undercurrent of fragrant cinnamon and clove spices.  The palate is rich, full bodied and concentrated with some savoury marmite and yeast flavours.  Medium+ velvety tannins and medium+ acidity.  Long fruity finish.  Drink now to 2013.  Tasted February 2009.  

Killakanoon Oracle Shiraz 2005
Clare Valley
93 points
Very deep garnet-black colour.  Black cherry and blackberry compote with a dash of vanilla and some earthy, gamey aromas.  With coaxing, an abundance of spices begin to show, cassia bud and star anise.  Intensely fruity palate with the cedar edges still showing, though these should marry in another year or so.  Full body, medium+ silken tannins and medium to high acidity.  Very long finish.  Drink now to 2017.  Tasted February 2009.

Killakanoon Green's Vineyard Shiraz 2005
Barossa Valley
95 points
Very deep garnet-brick.  Intense blackberry and warm plums with lots of spice notes: nutmeg, allspice, star anise and cinnamon.  A faint whiff of salami.  The full bodied palate provides layers of fruit and spice flavours supported by very fine medium-firm tannins and medium+ acidity.  Very long finish with lingering notes of black pepper.  Drink now to 2020.  Tasted February 2008. 

Killakanoon R Shiraz 2005
Barossa Valley
97 points
Very deep garnet colour with a hint of brick in the rim.  The nose is a little mute to begin but with coaxing there is a good intensity of black cherry and blackcurrant fruit complimented by Chinese five-spice, cedar, moss, truffles and iron ore.  There is a great intensity of flavours on the palate with medium-firm, finely grained tannins and medium+ acidity.  Full bodied yet wonderfully elegant.  Nicely balanced.  Long finish.  Drink now to 2025.  Tasted February 2008.

Seppeltsfield 102 Museum Amontillado
Barossa Valley
97 points
Crafted from a Solera System of an average wine age of fifty years.  100% Palomino grape.  Pale amber colour.  Very nutty nose – hazelnut, praline, caramel and brown sugar.  The palate is fairly dry with a medium+ level of acidity sparking freshness in the rich, nut and burnt sugar flavours.  Full body, silken texture and a tremendously long finish.  Tasted February 2009.

Seppeltsfield 104 Museum Oloroso
Barossa Valley
100 points
Crafted from a Solera System of an average wine age of fifty years.  100% Palomino grape.  Pale to medium amber colour with a greenish tinge.  The nose provides an incredible array of spice, walnut, toffee and dried fruits aromas.  The viscous, full bodied, unctuous plate is fairly dry with a great backbone of zingy, medium-high acidity.  Very, very long finish incorporating many layers of walnut / hazelnut flavours, exotic spices and dried fig and persimmon.  Incredible wine.  Tasted February 2009. 

Seppeltsfield 1878 Tawny
Barossa Valley
98 points
These tawny port style wines are Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blends, matured in hot attics creating a Madeira effect.  The alcohol is around 24%.  The nose is staggeringly complex – rancio, raisin, plum pudding, dried plum, Provence herbs and a touch of saline.  The sweet, multilayered palate adds a savoury, mincemeat dimension with perfectly balanced crisp acidity.  Very rich and viscous with a very long finish.  Tasted February 2009.

Seppeltsfield 1909 Tawny
Barossa Valley
96 points
These tawny port style wines are Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blends, matured in hot attics creating a Madeira effect.  The alcohol is around 24%.  Slightly mute nose compared to the other examples yet after a few moments the aromas open out:  honeyed-walnut, sultanas, dried dates and toffee.  There's a great balance of sweetness and refreshing acidity on the palate with an array of dried fruit flavours.  Very long finish.  Tasted February 2009.

Seppeltsfield DP 62 Museum Muscat
Barossa Valley
97 points
Beguiling nose of preserved grapes, nutmeg, potpourri / dried rose petals, mandarin peel and a whiff of molasses.  Very sweet with medium to high acidity to balance.  Decadently silken texture and a very, very long, spicy finish.  Tasted February 2009. 

Seppeltsfield DP 64 Museum Tokay (Muscadelle)
Barossa Valley
99 points
This nose runs the spectrum of baking spices and fruitcake aromas with some toasted almonds and hazelnuts.  After a few minutes in the glass a complex undercurrent of new aromas develop - meaty, earthy, leathery.  On the palate this is a very elegant wine with less sweetness and heat here than with the other Seppeltsfield fortifieds, though still a rich, full bodied style.  Medium to high acidity with a long, complex finish.  Tasted February 2009.