Bottled botanicals
Winemakers Brendan and Laura want to challenge your palate.
- Role: Owners
- Organisation: Unico Zelo Wines, Applewood Distillery and Økar Amar
- University of Adelaide degree: Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology (Brendan), Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences (Laura)
After meeting in their first year of university, this husband and wife team joined forces to push the boundaries of modern winemaking and take the practice back to its natural and historical roots.
Using the colours, flavours and textures of native botanicals they have created their own unique blends for their wine label, Unico Zelo, and their distillery, Applewood. Their pursuit of quality has always been balanced by sustainability by using grapes that don’t require irrigation.
They began their business in their first year of university, when Brendan was completing his Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology and Laura was studying her Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences.
Join us for this fascinating conversation with presenter Sarah Davidson where they discuss the science and art of winemaking, how they channel the Australian identity into their products and what it is like to run a business with your partner.
"The fact that we come... both Laura and I actually come from a scientific background allows us to be able to approach something, and it gives us so much more confidence to make minimal intervention wines that actually are very tasty, and do achieve true levels of sustainability that are quantifiable, and we are quantifying these things. It's only because we trained at university at the end of the day. We rely quite heavily on that knowledge."Brendan Carter - Unico Zelo Wines, Applewood Distillery and Økar Amar
Also available for listening on:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | OmnyStudio
Bonus content
- Learn more about the Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology or Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Adelaide.
- See what Waite Research Institute scientists are doing at the University’s Waite campus and in the disciplines of agriculture and wine.
- Head for the Hills! Visit Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo for spirit and wine tastings.
- Tune into the ‘Happy Hour: Wine For The People’ livestream, every night at 5pm Adelaide time with Brendan Carter.
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