Unico Zelo
Wine For The People.
Founding Applewood Distillery in 2012, the pair studied indigenous produce and native botanicals, blazing the trail for Australian gin and showcasing our home-grown goods to the big wide world.
Texture > Flavour > Vitality
Emerging in 2014 with Unico Zelo, they’ve approached winemaking with the same ethos - but with a twist. Without any native Australian grapes to serve as a starting point, they’ve set out to create an Australian identity for international grapes.
Maintaining their commitment to supporting Australian farmers and sustainable practices, their playful Aussie takes on Mediterranean varietals (especially the Italians) quickly gained a following for their fresh energy, bold flavours and memorable textures - the product of plenty of experimentation at their Gumeracha home base.
Beginning their “Wine for the people” Youtube channel in 2019, their commitment to the global wine community is real, while on a local level, the team gained notoriety throughout the worst of the pandemic’s lockdown for their commitment to local community via their Daily Happy Hours, each episode guest starring a local producer.
(Their channel is going strong to this day, so chuck them a follow and tap into their playful take on wine tasting and education!)
For this reason, they hold a special place within the SA wine community, while their commitment to making approachable wine for the people means you’ll find Aussies from Cairns to Coral Bay happily quaffing their playful drinks. This Adelaide Hills getup is only gaining speed, and we’re happily along for the ride.If “Wine for the people” is their moniker, Texture > Flavour > Vitality are the hallmarks of a Unico Zelo wine. Working and producing from a 1920s industrial coldstore in Gumeracha, Adelaide Hills, Brendan and Laura Carter create site-expressive wines primarily sourced from Clare Valley, Riverland and Adelaide Hills vineyards. Minimal intervention in the winery is a priority, as it sustainable practice; passionate about prioritising soil health, they want to feed rather than detract from our natural resources.
This means choosing varietals that can be dry-grown in our hot, arid environment - grapes that need less water to flourish - and working with our landscape. Browsing our store, witness a bunch of different single vineyard Fianos and Neros, identified by site-expressive names, and a nod to the natural qualities of the land that precedes us by millenia. The Carters blend to bring out the best of Barbera and Dolcetto, while Rosés cuvées, Greco and Pet Nats hit out with varying levels of skin contact, tactile fruit and delicate perfumes. Really, anything goes - and always seems to pan out. It’s really all fun and games over here.