A few months ago I had the opportunity to sit down to lunch with Kilikanoon CEO Nathan Waks. That the winery’s website officially lists him as “major interferor (CEO)” tells you everything you need to know about this charming fellow. Well not quite, as the website goes on to explain:

Better known as a musician, which he should probably stick to, Nathan can often be found at his “office”- the stage of the Concert Hall in the Sydney Opera House, where he is Principal Cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, or late at night writing emails after concerts.

We had a delightful lunch, during which we tasted a slew of Kilikanoon wines — along with some very cool Seppelt fortified wines, but more about that later.

Kilikanoon owns or controls some 1200 acres of vineyards throughout South Australia to produce a wide range of wines, with a particular emphasis on Shiraz, Riesling and Grenache. Here are my notes on  my favorites that day: