He was here to check out the latest vintage of his wines which are made by local company Kilikanoon.

Kilikanoon Wines has just made its fifth vintage for Mr Larionov’s Michigan-based Triple Overtime Wine Company which sells its wine in the United States, Europe and the burgeoning Russian market.

Chardonnay has been added to the portfolio for the first time this year, joining cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, grenache, and riesling on the list of wines made by Kilikanoon for Triple Overtime.

Mr Larionov and his business partner Mike Davis also have a portfolio of wines which is made in California but its Australian wines come exclusively from Kilikanoon.

Triple Overtime takes its name from Mr Larionov’s ice hockey game-winning goal in the third overtime period of Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

Mr Larionov said the goal came as something of a relief to all involved, as it concluded a match at 1.15am which had started at 7pm the previous day.

He was 41-years-old at the time, making him the oldest player in history to score during a triple overtime period.

It was the highlight of a remarkable ice hockey career spanning 27 years, starting with 12 seasons in Russia and followed by 14 seasons in the National Hockey League in America.

At the age of 48, he is now retired from the top level of the sport but still plays ice hockey in Los Angeles with a group of Hollywood actors.

While Mr Larionov still enjoys talking about his hockey career, he warms to the challenge of switching media interviews to the subject of his wine business, which he said was ideally poised to take advantage of the booming Russian economy, driven by the oil, gas and steel industries.

“What we can bring to this market is quality and price,” he said.

Russian distributor Yury Kosenko, who was travelling with Mr Larionov, plans to open up to 100 wine stores across Russia in the next few years.

Mr Larionov said Australian wines represented incredible value for money compared to their French and Italian counterparts.

He said he planned to make six to seven wine marketing trips per year to Russia to sell his wines and would also promote the wines of Kilikanoon and its sister company at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley.

– Our Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend coverage is on Pages 8-9 today.