polperro restaurant 1

OUR TEAM /

sam coverdale

Sam Coverdale /

Director + Winemaker

Terrific vineyards, surf beaches and a close proximity to Melbourne means the Mornington Peninsula is the perfect home for Polperro by Even Keel, and Sam Coverdale and his 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 has 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 Polperro by Even Keel in 2006 with a view to create drinkable, balanced and elegant wines that continue to interest beyond the first glass.

emma phillips

Emma Phillips /

Director

Emma is Sam’s better half and partner in crime. Emma’s innate style and creative virtuosity shines through every part of Polperro, ensuring luxe elegance and curated experiences delight at every turn. Having honed her business acumen in the corporate arena, Emma leads the business and diverse team; creative director, business manager, mentor, conduit, bedrock, her influence is intrinsic to Polperro.

Brent Osbourne

Brent Osbourne /

Assistant winemaker & vineyard manager

Brent joined the Polperro family in 2016. Brent’s previous career in musical theatre saw him travelling the world, during these travels he discovered an appreciation for wine leading him to pursue a career in wine science. He is Sam’s right hand man in the vineyards & winery, and plays a crucial leading role.

Nick Monaghan

Nick Monaghan /

Kitchen garden manager & property manager

Nick’s love and passion for food started with 15 years working as a chef. His food style is founded in sourcing the best produce the region has to offer, respecting & highlighting the ingredients through simple clean earthy middle eastern flavours. Having worked throughout Europe at Executive Chef level, he came full circle, drawn back to his roots, where his love for the land was born. Nicks passion lies in farming organically, regeneratively, respectfully and sustainably – leaving the earth in better health for his children. Growing produce with taste and flavour is always at the front of mind. He takes great pride in what we have built at Polperro farm, delivering a truely seasonal seed to plate experience for diners.

blaz portrait

BLAZ REZEN /

Restaurant manager & Sommelier

Blaz has worked professionally in the hospitality industry for over 15 years. His passion is food and wine. His extended family own and manage different vineyards in Slovenia and he is deeply connected to his tradition of wine making, sausage making and meat curing. A nice glass of wine and a slice of salami or prosciutto wins him anytime.

Priding himself on creating unique and elevated guest experiences at every interaction, Blaz is the conduit between our wine and culinary teams, offering every diner his knowledge, warmth and welcome.