Terrific vineyards, surf beaches and a close proximity to Melbourne mean the Mornington Peninsula is the perfect home for Polperro, Even Keel, Sam Coverdale’s family. Having grown up surfing the beaches of northern New South Wales and South East Queensland, Sam started out as a vintage cellar hand at Tyrrell’s at just 18 years of age, before completing degrees in Business from the University of Queensland and Wine Science at Charles Sturt University. Sam joined Hardy’s, working across several Australian wine regions, then in Spain, Italy and France learning from the likes of Jean-Marc Lafage. Through this technical grounding and experience, Sam developed a strong sense of the wine he loves to drink and make – wine that plays to the strengths of particular regions and is true to the climatic conditions of each vintage. He established Even Keel in 2006 with a view to creating drinkable, balanced and elegant wines that continue to interest beyond the first glass. Thereafter Sam founded Polperro in 2009, to showcase single vineyard sites on the Mornington Peninsula.