{"id":1097,"date":"2019-06-22T10:33:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T00:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-352875-1094412.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2022-01-21T12:19:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T02:19:28","slug":"polperro-sam-coverdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/polperro-sam-coverdale\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste of a local drop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sunshine Coast surfer Sam Coverdale paid his wine-making dues to head up a vineyard of exceptional quality.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Sunshine Coast is hardly a region that is considered synonymous with the wine industry, nor does it have many reasons to claim ties to viticulture or oenology in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when a local of the region makes a name for themselves in the industry, it\u2019s unsurprising that we\u2019re eager to put them on a pedestal and claim them as one of our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it is with Sam Coverdale. A surfie dude who grew up riding the waves between northern New South Wales and the Sunshine Coast, he started out his career as a cellarhand at Tyrells<\/a> at 18 years of age before going on to study Business at UQ and Wine Science at Charles Sturt University.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After working vintages around the globe, he eventually settled on the Mornington Peninsula<\/a> and in 2006 established his own vineyards and winery, Polperro<\/a> by Even Keel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his ties to the Coast remain strong as his parents are still Buderim residents and he visits as often as he has an excuse to do so. Like at the recent Noosa Food and Wine Festival<\/a> where I caught up with him to work through his range and find out about the current vintage of his range of balanced and elegant wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you\u2019d expect of a Mornington Peninsula producer, their focus is on the varietals that do best in the region; chardonnay and pinot noir. Sam believes in maintaining a focus on vineyard health and using both organic and biodynamic practices in all of their vineyards. Let the fruit do the work and intervene as little as possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not one of the heroes of the side, the Even Keel Pinot Gris 2017<\/a> was a delightful young white. It has a light yellow hue in the glass and a bit of honeysuckle on the nose. Despite having spent six months in the barrel and been through secondary ferment, the fruit still defines the wine, with pear and quince the dominant characters. There\u2019s lively acid on the back end to balance the creaminess found through the middle. It\u2019s a very drinkable wine at the $27 price point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some attractive wines in the Polperro stable, but to my palate, the rock star in the room is their 2018 Polperro Chardonnay<\/a>. The depth of the wine is as obvious as the intensity of colour in the glass. There are hints of lemon meringue and bunya nuts on the nose followed by cavalcades of peach, melon and yellow stone fruit. There\u2019s just the slightest hint of chalkiness before the fleshiness of the fruit asserts its authority. The malolactic fermentation provides a creaminess to the texture that collides with spice and nut on the conclusion. There\u2019s nice balance, thanks in part to the acidity and minerality that arrives on the after-palate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At $50 a bottle, you\u2019d be expecting something pretty special; and the Polperro doesn\u2019t disappoint. You\u2019ll find it locally at XO Cellars<\/a> at Sunshine Beach \u2013 and it\u2019s definitely worth the trip!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunshine Coast surfer Sam Coverdale paid his wine-making dues to head up a vineyard of exceptional quality. The Sunshine Coast is hardly a region that is considered synonymous with the wine industry, nor does it have many reasons to claim ties to viticulture or oenology in general. So when a local of the region makes…
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