Presenting a series of Sunday's showcasing the stories from Wine, Beer & Spirits of the Fleurieu.

These are reproduced with permission from Soul Publishing and Rojina Duval.

These stories feature prominent farmers, fishermen, producers and chefs – from Port Noarlunga to Cape Jervis – along with their favourite recipes and tips. Enjoy!

Samson Tall is the joint venture of Paul Wilson and Heather Budich. The couple make wine from grapes purchased from local McLaren Vale growers in a small winery on their Strout Road property, while their cellar door operates out of a small church built in 1854.

Before venturing into the wine world, Paul worked in sales and marketing for a large international wine and spirits business, which took him from South Australia to New South Wales to Hong Kong.

“Paul had a ‘mid-life crisis’ in his late thirties and decided that he wanted to be a winemaker,” laughs Heather.

“He returned to South Australia to work as a cellar hand at Wirra Wirra and began a Bachelor of Wine Science at Charles Sturt University – that’s when we met,” says Heather, who was also working at Wirra after stints at Rosemount, McLaren Vale Winemakers and Coriole.

“We used to travel past this old church on our way to Heather’s parents’ house, and gradually the idea of turning it into a winery and cellar door took shape. We wrote to the owners for eight years before they sold it to us,” says Paul.

Paul and Heather bought the Bethany Chapel in March 2015, with a view to turning it into a “little wine business”. They ran it as a B&B for two years, then started renovating … and the Samson Tall Winery cellar door opened on 27 December 2018.

“Samson Tall was an important but otherwise forgotten historical figure,” says Paul. “In 1853, he donated the land to the community for the church to be built.”

He is buried in the cemetery, and in an interesting twist, the man who built the church, Richard Pomery – who was directly related to the Pomery Champagne house in France – is buried there too. “Samson was probably one of the first settlers in the Bethany district, but there’s no road or other structure commemorating this successful pioneer,” says Paul. “It feels appropriate that finally, after more than 165 years, we can now acknowledge his life with the naming of Samson Tall wines.”

PAIRING “Our 2020 Cinsault Mataro Rose is a perfect summer wine, with bright acidity, red fruits and lifted floral aroma. It’s perfect served with oysters, dishes with Asian influence – or just on its own.”

CELLAR DOOR “Our cellar door is housed in an old Wesleyan Chapel built in 1854. It is surrounded by gardens, vineyards and a historic local cemetery. The chapel features art by Mark Wilson and Michelle Wilke, and our beautiful black labrador Miller is always on hand to greet visitors.”

ADDRESS 219 Strout Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171

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