UNICOZELOANDAPPLEWOOD,SA
BRENDANANDLAURACARTERBrendanCarter,winemakeranddistillerofUnico Zelo and
ApplewoodDistillery(unicozelo.com.au;applewooddistillery.com.
au), is tellinga storyaboutdiningwitha buyerfrom Dubai’s
JumeirahGroupatAdelaide’sRestaurantOrana. Staggered by
thenativeAustralianingredientshewasexperiencing for the first
time,thebuyerturnedtoBrendanwithamazement. “I have no
paststandardforwhatI amtasting.You’reintroducing to me an
entirenewarrayofflavours– it’slikeI’ma childagain,” he said.
ForBrendan,whosepassionhasalwaysbeento create
productshereferstoas“distilledthroughthelens of Australian
sunglasses”,thiscommentconfirmedwhathe’slong believed:
thatthislandis hometoincrediblyuniqueflavours unlike
anywhereelse.“Imaginehowpowerfulthiscould be for us in our
cultureastheworldbecomesmoreconnected,” says Brendan.
WhenBrendanandhiswife,Laura,beganproducing wine and
spirits,theywerebarelyin theirtwenties.It mayhave been
youthfuloptimism,butratherthantalkingabout the process of
makingwineaswasthenorm,theychosetofocus on the land.
Theiramneusinggrapesasclosetoa nativevariety as
agriculturallypossible.
OncetheybeganApplewoodDistillery,a new indigenous
flavourwasunlocked.“UnicoZelois tryingtofind what a native
grapevarietywouldlooklikeif oneexisted,”explains Brendan,
“whileApplewoodacceptsthatthebestthingwe can actually
growhereis native.”
Brendansayshehasbeenflooredbythearray of native
citrus,suchasdesertlime,whichfeaturesheavily in their gin.
TheirAustralianamaro,Okar,featuresthebittertang
ofDavidsonplumsandriberries.“Whenlifegives you lemons,
makebitters,”hesays.
TheCarters’commitmenttothelandhasledthem to acquire
B Corporationcertification,whichis theworldstandard in verified
andtransparentsocialandenvironmentalpractices. It wasn’t an
easyprocess,butforBrendan,it wasimperative. “I think people
shouldcompetetobemoresustainablebecause it’s going to
driveinnovation.”Laura and Brendan Carter at
Unico Zelo; copper vats at
Applewood Distillery.
OPPOSITE: A spot to sit at
Applewood; Lozen and
Clinton Schultz, Sobah
Pepperberry IPA (inset);
Applewood’s gin (inset).@unicozelo
MAKE
B IT TE RS .”@applewooddistillery
UP AND COMERS.