Estate

Grown

Our grapes are grown, picked and processed on our site, making us a true estate in every sense of the word!

We believe our vineyards are pretty special. Due not only to their aspect, terrain and altitude but also to the obsessive care and hands on attitude we’ve put into every detail, from their planting back in 2000-2001, to their ongoing maintenance.

Being an estate means we also have the ability to oversee and process all of the grapes that come off our vineyard, on site—they never leave our hands.

Our Vineyards & Winery

It’s fair to say we’ve seen a lot in our vineyards over the years. From the anticipated, such as the grafting and replanting that has taken place, to the outright surprising, like the time lightning struck one of our hundred year old gums and sent branches flying over a hundred meters through the air. Honest truth, the gum is still alive today and bears the scars to prove it!


Idyllically situated amongst our vineyard and overlooking the estate lake (where you’ll often find pets at play), stands our state of the art winery which was completed back in 2004. Built using world’s best practice grape growing and wine making procedures, it runs off over 65% solar power.


Having our own winery enables us to produce on demand, minimise transportation of our precious grapes, hold up to 1,500 tonnes at any given time (which makes us popular with friends post vintage) and oversee every detail of the winemaking process from start to finish.


Winemaking

Fronted by Head Winemaker Adam Carnaby and Assistant Winemaker Ben Kendrick, our winemakers are the true and often unseen heroes here at Wicks!


Adam joined Wicks in 2020 following his time at Seppelt, Great Western. He’s a graduate of Charles Sturt University and has worked with wineries across the Yarra Valley, Margaret River and Central Victoria. Adam’s the master of large scale and timing—he always knows the precise moment to pick (ensuring our grapes retain character of provenance once processed and in the bottle). When he’s not in the winery Adam’s often found in the kitchen—preparing pastries or desserts or restoring furniture. He’s quite the all rounder.


And then there’s our Assistant Winemaker, Ben. Ben joined the Wick’s team in 2018 after spending many years down the road at Petaluma. Ben’s claim to fame in the winery is his coffee making skills but we’re also pretty impressed with his winemaking abilities. He also has quite the humour and was a qualified chef in a previous life!


Estate

Crafted

Cool Climate

It’s a term we use a lot these days, and with good reason. Cool climates conspire to produce wines of elegance, quality and finesse; that not only retain varietal flavours and diversity but also truly express terroir. But the cooler the climate, the greater the need for meticulous vineyard planning, design and viticultural management. We think it’s worth it though—even if we do have to don a few extra layers in winter!


The Adelaide Hills are one of Australia’s premier cool climate growing regions. Bordered by the Barossa Valley to the North and McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek to the South. They form part of the Adelaide Rift Complex (or Adelaide Geosyncline) which stretches from the Flinders Ranges via the Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula through to Kangaroo Island. In terms of soil profile, the hills are a mix of sandy loams, loams and clay loams over clay subsoils. It’s also not unusual to find these soils combined with shale and ironstone.

Cool Climate Wines