Karin Adcock isn’t one to do things by halves. So when the Sydney-based businesswoman and her partner John Winstanley purchased the former Pooles Rock estate in 2016, it didn’t take long before their dreams of owning a country weekender where they could gather with family and friends turned into a mission to reinvigorate the Broke vineyard as a wine and tourism destination. The project was a perfect fit for the Sydney couple, whose combined backgrounds as executives and entrepreneurs were complemented by their varied experience in managing large properties and the wine industry.
Karin is best known for bringing Pandora jewellery from her native Denmark to Australia, transforming a business she started in her Northern Beaches garage into the world’s most successful Pandora entity. Prior to that, she spent a decade as a project manager, revitalising scores of large properties in Denmark and offshore, ranging from educational facilities to what was at the time the world’s largest mango farm. John’s interest in the wine industry began during his early 20's when he invested in his first vineyard in South Africa. He moved to Australia in 1995 to become CEO of Rugby NSW, where he worked with prominent wine figures, including the late David Clarke, the Macquarie Bank founder and original owner of Pooles Rock.
John then spent three years as the CEO of The Wine Society (from 2005 to 2008), expanding his commercial understanding of the Australian wine landscape and fuelling his passion for the industry. While the couple never intended to buy a vineyard, Karin said it only took one look at the 113-acre property at Broke before they were sold. “When we came up to have a look at it, we literally came in through the gate, and we were both absolutely blown away and decided that we really would like to buy this property,” she said.
