Wim Juilcher 1947 –2022

By Adrienne Staples

Martinborough lost a good citizen recently.  Not a name you read in the history books from the early families that settled the area but a person, who in 1997, chose a block of land on Te Muna Road as the place to base his future.  He saw the potential, invested hard work and made Martinborough his home.

Wim Julicher was born on the 5th of September, 1947 in Swalmen, The Netherlands, the eldest of five children.  As a young child he was never one for school and books, always preferring to build things.  This talent took him into the cabinet making industry which eventually led him, at the age of twenty-five, to Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

He met a Kiwi girl, Sue Davies whom he married in February 1974 and they set about having a family, a daughter Nikki and son Justin.

On a family trip to Marlborough, Wim became enthralled with the idea of developing an olive grove and that was the original vision for the land he purchased on Te Muna Road.  Sadly, the initial planting of two thousand olive trees was unsuccessful as the type was not suited to Martinborough’s winter.

Never one to be down hearted, Wim switched his focus to grapes and started on what was to become a very successful career in the wine industry.  Initially the family stayed in a caravan on the property in weekends and holidays while the vineyard was developed.

2002 was a year of contrast for Wim with the high of producing his first vintage set against the low of losing his wife.

Time moved on though and Wim met his second Sue, Sue Darling and together they continued to develop and promote the Julicher name whilst wholeheartedly being part of the Martinborough community.

Julicher Estate produced many top-quality vintages and none of it was simply by good luck.  Wim was a perfectionist in his all work, never taking short cuts and achieving his success through hard work and ingenuity.  His pinnacle awards were The Trophy Wine of the Show at the International Wine Awards in 2006 and again in 2008 at The Air New Zealand Wine Show.

But it was not these achievements that were most remembered or talked about when a very large crowd of friends and family gathered at St Andrews to bid him farewell.

Wim was remembered as a family man, a great father, husband, partner, brother and friend.  A man who was generous, kind, hard-working and would always help out a neighbour, which he often did.  Wim loved to socialise, have a good chat and always had time to hear your story, even if it made him late, which was also not uncommon.

Although he sold the vineyard in 2020, and with Sue retired to Martinborough town, there are undoubtedly still many bottles of Julicher pinot noir in cellars around the district.

If you have a bottle lurking in your cupboard, remember Wim when you pop the cork.  Please raise a toast to a good man who contributed in many ways to the Martinborough community.