Watkins Family History

The Watkins family have 27 years of experience in the South Australian wine industry since David and Ros Watkins purchased land in 1997 and planted a vineyard. After honing their craft in producing premium bulk wine, through their previous company called Fleurieu Vintners operating out of the Boar’s Rock Winery in Mclaren Vale, for many well-known brands domestically and internationally, David and Ros brought their three children, Ben, Sam and Jo, into the business.

 As well as taking senior management positions in WG+W, the new generation of siblings Ben, Sam & Jo launched the Watkins branded wine portfolio in 2019. Critical acclaim and accolades have been commonplace from the outset with wine show trophies and accolades from James Suckling, Wine Enthusiast, Halliday Wine Companion and many other leading wine critics bestowing awards on their range of wines made by Sam with fruit grown on the company vineyards.

 Supported by the experienced winemaking, viticulture and admin WG+W teams comprising 20+ people, the Watkins family strategic direction is focusing on quality, sustainability and organic viticulture.

Sam Watkins, Head Winemaker

Sam’s initial exposure to the wine industry was growing up around the vineyards his parents planted in the 90s, so the decision to study winemaking at the University of Adelaide at age 17 was a very natural one. Graduating shortly afterwards, Sam is the first trained winemaker in the Watkins family. To broaden his scope of knowledge and hands-on experience during and post university studies, Sam completed several vintages under the tutelage and watchful eyes of some of the most influential Australian winemakers including:

·         Fiona Donald at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley

·         Philip Shaw at Philip Shaw Wines in Orange, NSW

·         Sue Hodder at Wynns in Coonawarra.

Keen to learn more and gain a more global perspective on the wine industry, styles and winemaking techniques to bring back to South Australia, Sam also undertook several international vintages including:

·         Quinta da Roeda in Douro Valley, Portugal to learn about fortifieds,

·         St Supery in Napa to learn more about Cabernet.

Now Head Winemaker at WG+W, the largest winery in the Adelaide Hills Wine Region, Sam has been custodian of the site for over 17 years. To round out Sam’s holistic approach as a premium winemaker of fine wine, he has also gained considerable on-trade and consumer insight having worked as a Sommelier/ Wine Expert at Penfold’s Magill Estate Restaurant and is WSET qualified. Sam holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wine after being invited into the inaugural South Australia Cohort, having previously gained WSET Level 3 certification in 2017. In addition, after completion of the WSET Level 3 course, Sam then, upon receiving the Wayne Thomas Scholarship from McLaren Vale, completed the Advanced Wine Assessment Course

Josephine (Jo) Watkins, Export Sales and Marketing Director

Jo Watkins is Export, Sales and Marketing Director and joined WG+W after returning from the US where she had been working for the Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in Washington, DC, USA.

• Bachelor of Environmental Policy and Management, University of Adelaide

• Master of International Trade, University of Adelaide

• Master of Agricultural Business, University of Adelaide