The Wicks team are dedicated to producing high quality estate grown wines of exceptional regional character which represent excellent value. Tim and Simon Wicks proudly front the Wicks Estate Label, armed with a firm belief in long term success, aim to steer the company into a position where the Wicks Estate Brand is regarded as one of the Adelaide Hill’s finest. The Wicks Family has a long history of involvement in agriculture with the Woodside Vineyard following on from their orchard and nursery operations at Highbury.
In late 1999, the 54 hectare property at Woodside was chosen and purchased for its scenic location and suitability for premium wine grape production within the Adelaide Hills, Australia’s premier cool climate wine growing region. The vineyard, planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was designed around the gentle undulating slopes studded with a number of ancient red gums and the Inverbrackie Creek that winds its course through the length of the property.
The winery is a state of the art facility situated amongst the estate vineyard utilising worlds best practice grape growing and wine making procedures. This world class processing facility, completed in early 2004, was designed and constructed utilising a team of private and independent engineers, machinery manufacturers, winemakers and builders under the guidance of the Wicks family as project managers.
Long time friend of the Wicks family and heading up the winemaking team is Tim Knappstein, who graduated from Roseworthy College as Dux of the Oenology course in 1966. After a number of years experience in the Clare Valley district Tim made a move to the Adelaide Hills and is identified as a pioneer of the Adelaide Hills cool climate wine region.
A long history of involvement in a number of wine judging panels makes Tim a highly sought national wine judge, further providing him with the skills required to craft fine wines of character that exemplify the Adelaide Hills cool climate wine region. Tim’s lifetime of involvement in creating award winning wines is Wick's assurance of quality.
Joining Tim on the winemaking team is Leigh Ratzmer. A Graduate in oenology from Adelaide University, Leigh has undertaken vintages in Austria, working with some of the regions leading winemakers and premium wine producers, as well as in the Barossa Valley, where he worked with some of the regions most prestigious labels. As a relatively young and enthusiastic new generation winemaker, Leigh brings with him invaluable and exciting ideas to help establish the Wicks Estate brand at the forefront of the cool climate wine industry. Everyone at Wicks works to ensure that the wines show ripe fruit flavours and display all the cool climate characters of the Adelaide Hills due to the unique vineyard site. Chardonnay is arguably the world’s most noble white grape, one that is ideally suited to the terrior of the Adelaide Hills. Wicks make a modern expression of cool climate Chardonnay showing an elegant balance between primary fruit flavours and subtle savoury complexities.
Following each harvest, parcels of Shiraz are given time on skins to allow the gentle extraction of colour and flavour. This lovely pink cool climate wine has an abundance of juicy berry fruit aromas and a refreshing palate of cherry and forest fruit flavours. Parcels of destemmed and whole bunch Cabernet from a low yielding block are separately vinified into a soft, silky style with bright berry flavours. The winemaking team's efforts are set to further cement Wicks Estate’s reputation as one of the icon producers of Sauvignon Blanc in the Adelaide Hills.
