One of Ten Best New Wineries
James Halliday Wine Companion 2019

Brave Souls was born as a project of new creative collaborations, with the vision towards making contemporary Barossa wines, high on drinkability and value. Made at the Sons of Eden winery by our good friends Corey and Simon; and with label art by Bruce Goold, of iconic Mambo brand fame, who generously agreed to visualise the tales of the “Brave Souls” involved in the shipwreck of the SS Admella off the coast of South Australia in 1859. 

The Story

It’s foolish to imagine the famous Admella shipwreck of 1859 as something to be celebrated. Having long haunted the history of South Australia, the events of that sinking are a tale too sad to tell. It was however an event that triggered some remarkable accounts of bravery and valour. The sinking of the fated ship set in course the actions of numerous men who risked their lives to help the remaining survivors. It is those men that the name and imagery of the wines celebrate.

Peter Donnell (“The Whaler”), John Leach (“The Able Seaman”) and Ben Germain (“The Lighthouse Keeper”) are three gentlemen, that, back in 1859, stepped up and risked their lives when the SS Admella hit ground and sank south west of Mount Gambier. Each of these men contributed in their own way to help the remaining survivors of this tragic event - each story so special we felt the need to dig deep through Australian archives and share them with the world: The Whaler, Peter Donnell, who captained the first ship to set out and attempt a rescue; Able Seaman John Leach, who launched the raft in to the breakers from the wreck with his colleague, Robert Knapman (after hours of battling the seas, they reached land, before walking 25km across sand and marshland to reach the Cape Northumberland lighthouse); and the Lighthouse Keeper, Ben Germain, who rode a horse to Mount Gambier to send the first telegram for help.

The Winemakers

They call themselves the 'Sons of Eden' for good reason, they learned and honed their craft in the region and now have over 50 Barossa vintages between them. Simon manages all the vineyards directly for the Brave Souls fruit and the wines are made at the SOE winery in Angaston in the safe hands of Corey. 

The Labels

Bruce Goold has been part of many Australian’s lives, whether they realise it or not. With an artistic contribution spanning five decades- including work for Mambo, the Opera House, iconic campaigns and countless exhibitions - Bruce generously agreed to visualise the tales of the 'Brave Souls' for this project.