The Winemaker
Tim became a third generation vigneron when he commenced his career in the family company, 'The Stanley Wine Company', making his first wine in 1966 after graduating from the Roseworthy College Oenology course.
During the early years Tim amassed more than 500 show awards, including 120 gold medals and 24 trophies for the premium quality Leasingham range through a period when new technology was revolutionising both winemaking and the wines themselves.
Following the sale of the Stanley Wine Company in 1971, Tim developed his own vineyards at Clare and by 1976 had started his own wine company, Tim Knappstein Wines.
He became renowned for his no compromise approach to winemaking, producing style and quality standouts in a very competitive industry. Always an innovator and pioneer, in 1978 he introduced 'Fume Blanc' to the Australian market and in 1980 botrytised Riesling made under controlled atmosphere.
In 1981 Tim was the first to plant a vineyard in the Lenswood area of the Adelaide Hills, where he still lives. As the enormous potential of the Lenswood fruit emerged, Tim sold all his Clare interests in 1995 to concentrate solely on the fruit and wines from this exciting new cool climate region of the Adelaide Hills.
He has since sold the Lenswood vineyards and works with a range of dedicated growers within the region to produce the Riposte range of wines.
To the present day the accolades continue, with Tim having won multiple awards for his Pinot Noirs. Riposte has enabled Tim to fully utilise his rich and accumulated knowledge from a decorated 50+ years of winemaking, and his boundless enthusiasm to keep making exceptional well priced wine, from premium cool climate grapes of the Adelaide Hills.