Sustainability at Zema Estate

Caring for the land – today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

At Zema Estate, sustainability is a value we’ve quietly lived by for over 40 years. From day one, our family has instinctively cared for the land, knowing that one day we’d pass it on to the next generation.

Today, we’re proud to continue that legacy with a clear focus on responsible practices from vineyard to bottle.

We’re committed to preserving our land, supporting our community, and producing wines that reflect the best of Coonawarra – with care, respect and responsibility.

Our Sustainability Practices

Solar Power & Energy Use
Our winery rooftop solar system provides the majority of our power needs. We review our energy and fuel usage every year and upgrade our equipment for greater efficiency.

In our winery we use crossflow filtration – a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to traditional filtration methods.

Grape Waste = Cattle Feed
Nothing goes to waste. During vintage, grape marc and other green matter from winemaking are used to feed our cattle – keeping our organic waste local and our cattle happy.

Smarter Vineyard Management

• We use targeted irrigation and carefully manage fertiliser use to maintain healthy vines with smaller canopies, reducing the need for trimming and lowering disease risk.
• Our spray program focuses on minimal intervention using organically friendly copper and sulphur-based treatments.
• We manage mid-row grasses and under-vine weeds naturally to reduce herbicide use.
• We encourage beneficial insects and natural pest control ‘the good bugs’, supporting a balanced vineyard ecosystem.
• Broken trellis posts are repaired with Oclok fittings or repurposed for fencing around the property.
• Vineyard wire is reused where possible.

Conservation and Biodiversity
We’ve preserved significant areas of native vegetation around our vineyard, undertaking revegetation and waterway recovery projects over the years. These areas provide natural habitats for insects, birds and animals, while also supporting pest control and boosting biodiversity.

Vegan wines
We’re proud to say that every Zema Estate wine is vegan-friendly – no animal products are used at any stage of our winemaking.

Sustainable packaging
We have worked with our packaging suppliers to reduce the size, weight and thickness of our packaging. We also use renewable materials such as paper, cardboard and biopolymers – avoiding non-renewable virgin materials. Any waste cardboard or glass is recycled locally.