Oakridge chief winemaker David Bicknell has left the winery – owned by the Endeavour Group – after more than 24 years.
“They made the chief winemaker’s role redundant,” Bicknell told WBM.
Meanwhile Chapel Hill chief winemaker Michael Fragos has also left the company.
This comes just weeks after the Endeavour Group put the Oakridge property and the Chapel Hill assets on the market.
“Well, that’s it,” Bicknell said on Instagram.
“After nearly 24 and a half years, my time at Oakridge Wines has come to an end.
“It’s been an amazing ride, taking what was a broken winery to the top of the industry with an unwavering commitment to quality and plenty of hard graft.
“Some really good times with some really good people.
“They say you never know you’re going to get boned until you do. And so it is.
“Thankfully, I leave a highly trained, capable and talented team for the next piece of history.
“Your support for them would mean a lot to me.”
An Endeavour spokesperson said, “David Bicknell has departed Oakridge following more than 20 years of service at the winery.
“He will be succeeded by senior winemaker, Tim Dexter.
“Tim has worked with David since 2023 and will continue the close partnership with award-winning viticulturist Steve Faulkner.
“David helped build Oakridge into the brand it is today while mentoring the next generation of winemakers who will carry the winery forward.
“The Oakridge team and operations are continuing business as usual.”
Oakridge is a finalist for Winery of the Year in the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, to be announced next month.
The winery was established in 1979.
Tony D’Aloisio – one-time chair of the Winemakers Federation of Australia – bought it from Evans & Tate in 2007.
Endeavour Group bought Oakridge from Ilana Atlas and Tony D’Aloisio in March 2021.
In May this year Endeavour announced that it was selling Oakridge along with other assets including the Chapel Hill winery and vineyards in McLaren Vale.
Endeavour said at the time Oakridge would be sold as a going concern and that it was “business as usual”.
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