COONAWARRA is mourning the loss of the patriarch of the Zema family, Demetrio, who passed away on May 29.
Arriving in Coonawarra in 1959 to marry the love of his life Francesca, Mr Zema brought a slice of Italy to the region through his passion for wine.
In the autumn of 1982, Mr Zema, wife Francesca and sons Matt and Nick made their first Coonawarra Shiraz in a tin shed, using a second-hand milk tanker as a fermenter.
Since its establishment, Zema Estate has become a stalwart and multi-generational tradition of grape growing and winemaking.
Mr Zema’s dream and love of wine stemmed from his homeland of Italy, where his father and grandfather had vineyards and made wine just for the family.
On arrival in Australia, Mr Zema married his fiancee and intended to return to Italy shortly after.
But plans changed for the young migrant couple as they welcomed their first born son Matt in 1960, followed by Nick in 1966.
The family quickly settled into the Australian lifestyle and Mr Zema established a painting business where he put a brush to iconic buildings including the Coonawarra Hall, the Royal Oak Hotel, churches and many homes and shop fronts.
Mr Zema continued the business for two decades and the family saved enough money to purchase a 20 acre block of land, on which Zema Estate still stands.
Demetrio’s son, Nick, said his parents love was one of a kind, with the two writing to each other everyday before he travelled to Australia.
“Dad always had a passion and love of wine,” Nick said.
“He included himself, mum, Matt and myself as equal partners in the business from the start and he had a vision and passion of wine that started the estate’s story.”
Nick said his father had intended to continue painting and produce wine as a hobby.
But as luck had it, 1982 was an outstanding vintage and two years later the inaugural Zema Shiraz was a highlight of the internationally acclaimed ExpoVin in 1984.
As the wine business started to grow, Mr Zema put down the paintbrush and started winemaking full time.
“He was still involved in the wine business right up to the end through the cellar door and vineyards,” Nick said.
“He was also an avid lover of shooting and hunting and always had his dogs on the back of his ute traveling around the region and through the vineyards.”
Nick said since his fathers’ death, the family had experienced an incredible influx of tributes to the late winemaker from both the Limestone Coast and broader winemaking community.
“It is amazing how many people’s lives he has touched over the years,” he said.
“Now that we sit back and reflect on his life it is amazing and we are so proud of what he has achieved.”
From humble beginnings in the south of Italy to establishing one of the region’s most astonishing brands, Nick labelled his father’s achievements as being
incredible.
“When he travelled here he did not know many people and did not know much English either,” he said.
“It is quite an achievement and the essence was that he was a proud Italian man, but he was also an Australian and Coonawarra resident.”
