Clare Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, lying in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 130km north of Adelaide. Tim Adams has been making wines in the Valley for four decades now with his roots running deep into the history of the region.
Tim Adams in The Clare Valley.
Tim Adams Roots.
It all began when Joseph Herman Knappstein arrived in Clare from Germany in 1858. As a vigneron, Joseph alongside 3 other leading men, founded the Stanley Wine Co; a wine venture that years later gave the Clare Valley’s wine industry its greatest boost known to date. They did this by replanting the best cuttings of riesling vines across several vineyard sites and pioneered one of the wines for which The Clare Valley is now famous.
In 1962 Joesph’s 11th Child, Karl (now known as Mr Mick) took over the running of the Stanley Wine Co and the name Knappstein became one of the most revered in the Clare Valley. A decade later in 1975, Mr Mick took on his last apprentice, Tim Adams, and in 1982 appointed him winemaker. Tim admired Mr Mick’s winemaking and in the 12 years he spent working with him, will tell us that it is here he learnt 90% of what he knows today.
Tim and wife and partner Pam went on to create Tim Adams wines after leaving the Stanley Wine Co and released his first solo vintage in 1987.
Tim Adams Reds.
Alongside his elegant, dry styles of white, Tim produces outstanding red wines including his flagship red; The Aberfeldy Shiraz (sourced originally from an ancient block of vines which were originally part of Wendouree), his single vineyard reds; The Ladera Tempranillo and The Schaefer Shiraz and his multi-vineyard range; The Tim Adams Cab/Malbec, Reserve Cab/Malbec, Shiraz and The Fergus.
He produces these wines from the 8 vineyards sites he owns in the Clare Valley along with some fruit sourced from a few growers that he has worked with for many years.
Tim Adams Cab/Malbec is sourced from two vineyards, Collins and Sheoak West (1). Sheoak West lies South West of the town Watervale and is home to Tempranillo, Malbec, Pinot Gris and Cabernet after Tim purchased the site and planted it in 2006. Tim has purchased cabernet sauvignon from the Collins family for decades and considers this vineyard as important as his own.
Tim Adams The Fergus is named after Tim’s neighbour who was kind enough to sell Tim his Grenache grapes in the vintage of 1993 during a desperate shortage of Shiraz and Cabernet. On release, Tim realised this soft style had real potential and today Tim still buys grapes from the Mahon vineyard. Sadly Fergus passed away during 2020. Alongside this, the rest of the wine is sourced from two vineyards owned by Tim; Ladera (5) (a dry-grown vineyard planted at Tim’s original winery site on
Wendouree Road, East of Clare) and Sheoak West (1).
Tim Adams Vineyard holdings.
Old Grenache Vines in Mahon Vineyard.
Tim Adams Shiraz is sourced from two of Tim’s premium vineyard sites; Irelands (2) and Rogers (7).
Irelands lies in the middle of the valley north west of the town Penwortham and is planted to Riesling, Shiraz and Mataro. It is here in optimum years Tim produces his Botrytis Riesling alongside the reds that Tim makes from the Shiraz and Mataro grown here.
Rogers vineyard was home to the Leasingham Bin 56 Cab Malbec grapes that were sourced from here before Tim purchased the site in 2009. It is the most northern vineyard Tim owns in the Valley, lying North East of Clare and today is planted with Shiraz, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Vermentino, Grenache, Malbec, Tempranillo and Sangiovese.
Tim Adams Ladera Tempranillo is sourced from the Ladera Vineyard (5) that was planted in 2004 after Isaac Muga came to work with Tim in Clare for vintage after the pair met at Isaac’s family winery in Rioja, Spain in 2002.
Tim and Pam planted the 4.5 hectares of Tempranillo on a dry site that lies to the east of the original winery. They named this unique spot “Ladera” which is Spanish for 'steep slope’, as it has a valuable and beautiful steep easterly aspect.
Tim Adams The Schaefer Shiraz is sourced from the Schaefer Vineyard (6). This is a recent addition (2015) to Tim Adams vineyard holdings. Lying in the north of the valley, just south of the Rogers vineyard, this 12 hectare site consistently produces some of Clare’s best Shiraz.
Tim Adams Watervale Cab/Malbec is made from a selection of dry grown grapes sourced from Sheoak West (1) . Cabernet and Malbec are harvested together in a field blend of just 8 tonnes total to make this unique, very intense blend which is aged in new French oak for 2 years before bottling.
Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz as mentioned previously was sourced initially from an ancient block of vines which were originally part of Wendouree. Aberfeldy represents the very best shiraz of the vintage and is most often sourced from our own dry grown areas within the Bayes (3) and / or Sheoak and /or Irelands (2) sites.
Interested in trying the Tim Adams range or would like to receive more information? We’d love to hear from you.