Sam Rugari – General Manager

Sam is one of the original founders of Bent Creek Vineyards. A well known identity throughout Adelaide, Sam has created a reputation for producing excellent quality wines that are served in some of Adelaide’s renowned restaurants.
Born in Sinopoli, Reggio Calabria in Southern Italy he traveled to Australia with his parents and three brothers. Since arriving at a young age Sam has formed an extensive career in the hospitality industry and supply chains. He has previously been a shareholder of Walkerville Cellars and Festival City Wines & Food, and a restaurateur at La Tombola Ristorante. Currently, Sam is the keystone of Bent Creek Vineyards and oversees the sourcing of fruit, production and sales.
Married to Deborah Rugari, a Naturopath who owns ‘The House of Healing’ they live with their two dogs in the beautiful picturesque Adelaide Hills.

David Garrick – Sales and Marketing Manager

In September of 2014 David joined the Bent Creek team. He is responsible for the Sales and Marketing of our Cellar Door, Domestic and International Markets.
David has spent the last 19 years within the hospitality and wine industries having worked for the Hyatt Regency Adelaide in his early working life forming his love and passion for everything food and wine. This led to BDM roles for some of Australia’s leading brands such as Taylors Wines, Casama Group and Festival City Wines in both Independent and Chain channels. In 2008 to 2011 his career saw him gain diverse experience as HSEC / Operations Manager for Xceptional Recruitment a company listed in BRW Magazines TOP 100 businesses in 2009/10.
Married with two children, David is an avid golfer and wine nut. During his spare time he loves nothing better than hitting a golf ball, sipping a great drop and spending time with his family.

The Winery

Established back in 1999, today Bent Creek Vineyards is a joint partnership between Sam Rugari and David Garrick. In 2009 the business moved Cellar Door and Operations to a new complex located on Blewitt Springs Road. And subsequently, as a parallel development winemaker Tim Geddes now assists Sam in the production process.

Cellar Door Opening Times are:
Saturday & Sunday 12 noon to 4pm.

The Vines

At Bent Creek we concentrate our efforts on sourcing premium fruit from the best vineyards in McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. We work closely with our dedicated growers to achieve the full potential of each individual site. Our grapes are sourced out of the rich alluvial soils of McLaren Vale and taken from vines planted in the 1940s to cool climate grape varietals sourced out of the picturesque Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills. We have a genuine focus upon small parcels of high quality fruit that reflect the variety, vintage and the unique terroir each has to offer.