Rachel & Sam Atkins
LED BY PASSION
In the dynamic Adelaide Hills wine region, Rachel and Sam Atkins are exploring alternative varieties and creating unique experiences for visitors.
Australia is full of creative wineries doing things their own way. In 2000, friends Rachel and Sam Atkins, Jane Gordon and David Cumming saw an opportunity to live their dreams and founded Fox Gordon. The name celebrates the founding women (Rachel’s maiden name is Fox) and the label represents their goal of doing something different.
The alternative route
Rachel and Sam don’t believe in following a well-worn path. Instead, they let their passions guide them. At Fox Gordon, their focus is on alternative varieties like Fiano, Tempranillo, Montepulciano and Nero d’Avola, as well as regional classics such as Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. These are quality-driven wines that have won awards and built a strong customer base.
As well as running the winery and vineyard, Rachel and Sam also offer tourism experiences, including yoga, a golf driving range and overnight packages that feature a helicopter ride to Kangaroo Island.
“Working with our passions is really important, and Sam and I believe that being authentic is also very important,” says Rachel. “We’ve always said that wine is fashion and passion, and we see wine as something that can bring people together.”
In the dynamic Adelaide Hills wine region, Rachel and Sam Atkins are exploring alternative varieties and creating unique experiences for visitors.
Sam’s family has been working in Adelaide Hills as sheep farmers for four generations, and as a viticulturist, Sam is continuing the family’s farming tradition. Rachel and Sam have adopted an increasingly sustainable approach to viticulture and have started on the path to organic.
“Being a family and watching our children and our livestock and everything that we have around us, we feel an obligation to look after all of that,” says Rachel.
Co-running a winery is a path Rachel didn’t always expect to find herself on. After studying wine marketing, she moved into the corporate world, until she met Sam and returned to the wine community.
“This place for Sam and me is quiet and calm, and I call it my happy place,” says Rachel. “When I get here, I breathe, and I relax and my shoulders go down … You walk out and the moon’s out, the stars are around … and you feel like, yeah, this is where I’m meant to be.”
“We’ve always said that wine is fashion and passion, and we see wine as something that can bring people together.” – Rachel Atkins
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