Unico Zelo ‘Fresh A.F.'

Blend: 97% Nero d'Avola & 3% Zibibbo

ABV: 12%

Soils: Ancient Sandy Limestone Soils

The Story:  Laura Carter, along with her husband Brendan have quickly emerged as the most dynamic winemaking duo in the Adelaide Hills – In their words they seek to create “Italian-inspired, textural and site-expressive wines.” Unico Zelo streaked onto the wine scene somewhat comet-like, when the duo launched into their own wine label in the Adelaide Hills, more or less fresh from university, where they met. And it wasn’t just wine. The Carters also opened their trailblazing distillery, Applewood, turning out spirits, amaro, liqueurs and limoncello, as well as a perfume brand, Nømad. These are impressive and ambitious people who are energy packed just like their wines.

The 2023 vintage of their lip smacking delicious Fresh A.F. is a blend of Nero d’Avola fruit 68% from Barmera, Riverland, and 32%  from Adelaide Hills. 3% of the blend is Zibibbo - a Sicilian indigenous aromatic white varietal that adds just enough lift to the final wine. Whole berries are fermented by wild ferment, with natural malolactic fermentation. Fermented and aged in Stainless Steel to accentuate the freshness. Only the most minimal amount of SO2 is added at bottling. Unico Zelo acknowledges that their grapes are grown on Ngawait & Peramangk Country.

Personality: Super-juice mouth-feel and texture that picks up on the most confected of characters without a heady aroma or heavy weight holding it down. A more zippy expression of the grape variety – no doubt from the meter’s worth of iron-rich sand on limestone that emphasize these more fragrant and fleeting characters.

Harmony: It’s springtime, so maybe lamb burgers. Or go adventurous with Peking duck, falafel gyros, or pork Xiao Long Bao.