The Winemaker Who Met Jesus and Never Looked Back

Why Clonakilla’s Chief Winemaker is on a Mission to Share God

North of Canberra sits Clonakilla.

Celebrated as one of Australia’s finest wineries, its five-star wines are not the only factor making this place unique.

A major element is the backstory, which writes the love of God and devotion to family into every fibre of Clonakilla’s DNA.

Founded in 1971 by Dr John Kirk, Clonakilla’s award-winning success and global respect come down to terroir (terr-wahr), French for the perfect place to produce a great, original wine.

Clonakilla’s Family History

The name even draws from the Kirk family tree.

Meaning “meadow of the church”, John gave Clonakilla the name of his grandfather’s farm in County Clare on the West Coast of Ireland.

The family emigrated to Australia in 1968. After surveying the area near Canberra, John “wondered why the land had no vineyards.”

Defying the naysayers, who said it was too cold, John Kirk, well-versed with a doctorate in biochemistry, bought some land for $9,600, planted some grapes, and made history.

Now a world-class winery, Clonakilla is also part of Australia’s First Families of Wine.

A group that exists to celebrate multigenerational family wineries, not just wine, quality, innovation or their respect for the land.

Recognised as being one of twelve families “who’ve shaped Australia’s wine story,” now the 3rd generation of Kirks help John’s sons, Stephen and Tim, still run Clonakilla today.

‘Deep Desire to Know More of God’: Clonakilla’s Tim Kirk

Delivering the keynote address for this year’s annual Sydney Prayer Breakfast, Tim Kirk credited his parents for leading by example.

For Tim, good winemaking goes hand-in-hand with a heart governed by the good news.

As Tim shared, he was raised in a smart, strong Christian family by intellectually astute parents, from both the Protestant and Catholic worlds.

His dad, John, is a devout Catholic, and his late mum was an Anglican. Both of them had PhDs.

“I was a pretty spiritual kid, and raised Catholic, I was taught to pray,” Tim said.

Still, “I yearned for more.”

Sharing more of his story, Tim told the prayer breakfast, there was “this deep desire to know more of this God who I professed to believe in with all my academic family life.”

In his teens, he eventually teamed up with some charismatic Catholics.

They weren’t “just talking about Jesus as a distant historical figure, but as their personal friend.”

This, Tim said, was “what he’d been looking for.”

He then gave his life to Christ in a fresh way.

There were “no great lightning bolts.”

“But the hunger was growing in me to know more, to know more of this person of Jesus who I knew a lot about.”

Recounting a Dramatic Spiritual Encounter

“A couple of months after that initial encounter,” he said, “I went on a youth camp run by the same Catholic youth ministry.”

Youth With a Mission also participated by putting on a “nicely done dramatic presentation on the life of Jesus and his ministry.”

During a spontaneous prayer after the hall had been packed up, 15-year-old Tim found himself in a prayer circle.

“Starting to pray, the prayer became more and more intense. Then (like in Acts 2) there was a sense of presence and power.”

It’s hard to explain, Tim said, but he was “no longer in that room.”

Standing in front of him was “a man filled with light and power, and what flowed from him to me was pure, pure love for me.”

“I knew who it was. I knew that the prayer that I’ve been praying on my bed at night had been answered and that Jesus, Jesus, the Lord, was coming into my heart.”

“I came back to where I’d always physically been in that room, tears pouring down my face, just saying the name of Jesus.”

Christ, Refreshed Calling, and Clonakilla

The world looked completely different. Clearer.

On that night he surrendered his entire life to Christ, saying, “I want my life to be an instrument. Use me to share this love with others.”

“I found,” he testified, “a new power to stay on the right track.”

He then dedicated his life to mission and doubled down on his Christian convictions.

After meeting Christ in that sanctifying moment, Tim finished school and earned a degree in theology. In the early 1990’s, with a diploma in education attached, he taught at Xavier College in Melbourne.

In 1996, Tim began to feel a call to move back to Clonakilla and build the family business, and the business flourished.

Clonakilla’s award-winning winemaker’s three elements for success align with Paul’s exhortations from prison in Philippians 4:8.

Speaking about these in Sydney, he said:

• Aim for genuine quality. Be genuinely good.

• Aim for impact. Have an optimistic vision.

• Communicate well. Share what you’ve discovered joyfully.

Share the treasure with others creatively, he added, because sharing the love of Christ in creative ways is the most important of all these three.

Handing the CEO reins to his brother Stephen in 2023, Tim told The Daily Declaration that he is staying on as Clonakilla’s chief winemaker.

Reduced hours free him up to focus more on missions, specifically evangelism.

God, Mission and Wine

When asked if he saw a conflict between making wine and preaching the word of God, Tim pointed to John 2 and the recount of Jesus turning water into wine.

Tim said, “The Bible’s full of wine, so making wine is perfectly natural for a Christian to do.”

To prove that, he shared about how “as a Christian in the business world, Tim believes witnessing to faith comes very naturally.”

He shared that he finds it “remarkable that people are sometimes more open to hearing the gospel from a winemaker than they are from a pastor.”

“The Holy Spirit is at work everywhere, not just in church.”

Raised in an ecumenical home, Tim’s passion is to see Christians united by “a reverence for the 90% they have in common.”

Unpacking this for The Daily Declaration, he said the key is maintaining dialogue and placing God at the centre, via Matthew 6:33.

While not downplaying the importance of theological differences, it is essential to keep in mind that unity is in Christ, because “Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

Evidence of how an “ecumenical blessing” is reconciled in Tim’s life is found in his quick response to a question about his favourite books.

Anything by C.S Lewis, he replied, adding Mere Christianity as a particular favourite. Tim also loves the writing of the great Catholic saints. He’s currently rereading Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle.

Reaffirming the food for thought Tim dished up at the prayer breakfast, his advice on prayer for the time-poor was to start with 10 minutes and build from there.

Maximise the mornings, he says; they’re the best time to pray.

“Build a routine. Look at it like a mobile phone recharging. Make time. Find a quiet space. Read out the Scriptures slowly and practice listening.”

As Tim concluded in his address, “Wherever you are, don’t camp there; go deeper. Pray more.”

“Jesus is real. He loves you right now just as you are. Drink deeply of his Spirit.”

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Images via a screenshot of YouTube and Australia’s First Families of Wine.

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ODM Daily Commentary

Let’s be honest: Tim Kirk is not your typical winemaker. He is a man who met Jesus at 15 and has never looked back. He is a man who believes that making wine and sharing the gospel go hand in hand. And he is a man who has built a world-class winery on the foundation of faith, family, and excellence.

The article from The Daily Declaration tells a remarkable story. Tim Kirk grew up in a smart, strong Christian family. His father was a devout Catholic, his mother an Anglican. Both had PhDs. He was taught to pray. But he yearned for more. He wanted to know God, not just know about Him.

In his teens, he encountered charismatic Catholics who talked about Jesus not as a distant historical figure, but as a personal friend. That was what he had been looking for. He gave his life to Christ. And then, on a youth camp, he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus himself. He was no longer in the room. He stood before a man filled with light and power, who poured pure love into him. He knew it was Jesus. And he surrendered his entire life to Him.

That encounter changed everything. Tim finished school, earned a degree in theology, and taught at Xavier College. But in 1996, he felt a call to move back to Clonakilla and build the family business. The business flourished. And Tim found that winemaking and witnessing go together naturally.

Tim’s three elements for success are grounded in Philippians 4:8: aim for genuine quality, aim for impact, and communicate well. Sharing the love of Christ creatively is the most important of all.

His approach to ecumenism is refreshing. He focuses on the 90% Christians have in common, while not downplaying theological differences. Unity is in Christ, because “Christ is all and in all.”

Tim’s advice on prayer is practical: start with 10 minutes, build a routine, maximise the mornings, find a quiet space, read Scripture slowly, and practice listening.

His final words are an invitation: “Wherever you are, don’t camp there; go deeper. Pray more. Jesus is real. He loves you right now just as you are. Drink deeply of his Spirit.”

So here is the challenge: take Tim’s advice. Go deeper. Pray more. And remember that you can be a witness for Christ wherever you are—whether in a pulpit or a vineyard.

Jesus is real. And He wants to meet you, just as He met Tim Kirk.

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Keywords: Tim Kirk, Clonakilla winery, Canberra winemaker, Christian testimony, Sydney Prayer Breakfast, Jesus encounter, Catholic charismatic, Youth With A Mission, faith and business, ecumenical unity, Philippians 4:8, C.S. Lewis, Teresa of Avila, prayer routine, evangelism in the workplace, Australian wine industry