After the apocalypse

‘How are you going?’ asks Clonakilla winemaker Tim Kirk. ‘How’s your mental health?’

Hold on a minute. Shouldn’t I be asking the questions? After all, I’d phoned Kirk to see how he’s going since he announced in February that Clonakilla wouldn’t be harvesting any of their vineyards due to smoke taint from the awful summer bushfires.

Then I remember: I’m in Melbourne. Four weeks into a six-week return to hard lockdown following a surge in COVID-19 cases in July. Our borders are closed to Australia’s...