From the South Island of New Zealand, Amy Hickling graces the much loved wine brand, Croser as the Sparkling Winemaker. Originally, Amy studied Ecology and completed a BSc at Otago University; however it was after spending many university holidays helping out in her neighbour’s vineyards that her enthusiasm for winemaking was born.
Amy’s first ever vintage was at Church Road Winery in Hawkes Bay, NZ and it was here, with the team’s creativity and passion, further solidified Amy’s love for the job. Not long after, Amy signed up to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Oenology and hasn’t looked back. After moving to Australian in 2012 and completing a vintage in Burgundy, France in 2014, Amy settled at Petaluma starting in the laboratory and working her way up the ranks to finally become Sparkling Winemaker at Croser, which has been an exciting achievement.
During vintage, her role involves plenty of early mornings and long days but Amy says it’s all worth it. She enjoys the variety and the mix of people she gets to work with each day. While Amy draws on inspiration from many different people in and out of her industry, House of Arras Winemaker, Ed Carr has had the best impression on her. She compliments how he continuously looks to improve on what he has already achieved and encourages the same approach from all those he works with. She hopes to continue this ethos in her own work. A testament to her wine, Amy regularly enjoys the glorious fruits of her labour with a glass of Vintage Croser on a warm afternoon. Outside of the winery, Amy enjoys getting outdoors, in particular going for walks in the evening taking in the beautiful landscapes of the Adelaide Hills, camping on the Yorke Peninsula and getting in the ocean.
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