Tim Kirk, the Chief Winemaker of multi-award-winning Australian winery Clonakilla, has encouraged Sydney’s Catholic youth to envisage how faith and business can work together inform their lives.
The former Winemaker of the Year appeared at the combined night for young men and women at the Catholic Parishes of Bondi on Monday 21 October, to discuss his secrets of success and how they relate to his Catholic faith.
Kirk is considered one of the greatest winemakers in Australia after his father, John Kirk, founded the Clonakilla winery in the Canberra region of Murrumbateman, more than 30 years ago.
His signature Shiraz Viognier is regularly rated amongst the top three red wines in the country and served in high-end restaurants around the world. It was even enjoyed by Pope Benedict XVI.
Tim explained his three elements of success to the more than 150 attendees at Bondi.
He says the first thing to get right is to produce a product of genuine quality.
“A winemaker’s call is about having a heart, mind, ear and eye open to the particular landscape and what it has to say,” he said.
“What is the landscape? It’s that particular piece of creation, and your job is to do your very best to give it a voice.”
The second thing you need is an optimistic vision, but that’s not enough without the third element—a capacity to communicate that vision.
“Having a genuine product of good quality is great, and having a genuine vision is good, but if you can’t communicate what you’ve discovered, then it’s just going to stay that…a vision.
“Effective marketing communication is the ability to share your genuine excitement about your product in such a way that people find it contagious; they want to see what it is that makes you so excited.”
In the next section of his talk, Tim connected all three elements of success to the divine product of God’s love, Jesus.
“The son of the living God, that’s our treasure, a product of genuine quality,” he said.
“Our vision is how the amazing truth of Jesus Christ will transform you. And our communication is the way we evangelise the good news to the world.”
Following Tim’s presentation, the youth enjoyed a meal prepared by the young members of St Joachim’s House and St Anne’s House.
