The Missing Leg is the culmination of over 25 shared years of production and hospitality experience in California’s Central Coast wine industry. Karl and Heidi Wicka have witnessed first hand the unbelievable coming of age of Paso Robles as a world renowned wine destination. In addition, over the past 15 years we have developed an awesome respect for the nuances of the dozens of central coast appellations that surround Paso Robles. Our knowledge comes not only from consuming the wines (which we have done plenty of), but we have also been integral members of the regions most respected production houses.

Our mission at The Missing Leg is to create quality, limited production wines that reveal the secrets that we have learned along our incredible journey.

What's With the Name?

In creating their wine brand, Karl Wicka had 3 main goals:

*The name had to be intellectually evocative.

*The label had to be visually recognizable.

*Its Purpose was to honor the memory of his father Ronald Wicka.

While rummaging through a collection of inherited British pub memorabilia, Karl and Heidi stumbled upon a brass casting that depicted an arrangement of 3 horseshoes. The "horse brass" was emblematic of Karl's father's favorite pub outside of London, known as The Missing Leg.

The Wickas presented the brass piece to the design firm 300FeetOut with the idea of creating a wine label based on the 3 horseshoe arrangement. The designs that incorporated the original "Missing Leg" emblem were deemed "too rustic" for the sleek new world Pinots and Syrahs that would be the cornerstones of the brand, and a concept of the letter "M" with one of the vertical "legs" missing was selected. A new version of an old brand was born.

Karl Wicka Winemaker, Owner

Entering the wine industry at the age of 23, Karl’s first experience was as a graveyard shift crush worker at Mondavi’s Woodbridge Winery in Lodi. “I learned several important things in Lodi,” recalls Karl, “First, that this was a career path that I could pursue. I also learned that I didn’t want to live in Lodi or make 1,000,000+ cases of wine a year, and working the graveyard shift with stoners in "RATT" shirts drove home the importance of having a college degree.” So it was back to San Luis Obispo, to finish his Bachelors’ in Fruit Science from Cal Poly in the winter of 1994. Spring of the same year marked the beginning of what would be a 9 year employment at Wild Horse winery in Templeton. There, Karl learned vast amounts about Central Coast vineyards and where grape varieties performed at their peak. In doing so, he rose from cellar-rat to cellar-master, and had the opportunity to work beside industry pioneers and future industry superstars. “It was a learning environment, and everyone had something to teach,” says Karl, “the caliber of fruit and the caliber of the people that I worked with boggles my mind, plus we drank LOTS of beer.”

Smelling change in the wind and itching to focus on small lot wine-making, Karl decided to maneuver his way west. Across town, the historic Pesenti Winery had recently been sold to Dr. Larry Turley of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. So in 2002, after a focused marketing blitzkrieg of his personal skills, Karl convinced Dr. Turley to take him on as assistant winemaker for Turley Wine Cellars,Templeton. He continues to hold this position with honor, 10 vintages and one 6.5 richter earthquake and counting...

Heidi Hostetter-Wicka Tech. Dept., Owner

A lifelong Paso Robles resident, Heidi began working at Wild Horse Winery after completing her Public / Nonprofit Administration degree at Fresno State. In doing so, she honed her palate, gained critical inside operating knowledge of the wine business, and won the heart of the then cellar-rat Karl. She has also worked in Wine Hospitality for Turley Wine Cellars and Jack Creek Cellars. Her uncanny ability to multi-task, computer "mojo" and unique local perspective has made her an often consulted cornerstone for Karl.