OUR STORY

Through consistent dedication and tireless work for four generations, Zilzie has become not just a flourishing winery, but a gift to our family, the local community and to the world for generations to come.

What we’ve collectively built over time is more than just a career accomplishment. For us, the winery is a living, breathing entity representing years of passion and unity. A winery is a work of art crafted by not just farmers, but forward thinkers and innovators with a burning desire to create something memorable and long lasting.

 

Our primary ambition at Zilzie is to create the best possible wines from different regions of Australia for those special moments in your life.

 

Moments that will be remembered for a lifetime.

OUR FAMILY

Our ancestors first landed their boots on this dusty property, just over 100 years ago.

 

With backbreaking perseverance, under the scorching Australian sun, four generations of our family have turned their hand to many an agricultural pursuit. In the early 80’s, Ian & Ross Forbes followed their instincts and converted the property to vineyards, setting our family and future on a new course.

 

The love for this land is in our blood, and managing the winery and one of the largest vineyards in the district with some 1700 acres under vine, is a family affair.

 

Brothers Andrew and Steven Forbes now manage the vineyards and winery.

 

It brings us great joy to watch our children take to the land as effortlessly as we did, enjoying the freedom and freshness of the property and the promise of another generation eager to carry on our passion for this land.

OUR WINES

ZILZIE VICTORIA

VICTORIA

2023

SAUVIGNON BLANC

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VICTORIA

2023

CHARDONNAY

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VICTORIA

2023

PINOT NOIR

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VICTORIA 

2023

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

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Zilzie Victoria Shiraz

VICTORIA
2023
SHIRAZ

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ZILZIE REGIONAL COLLECTION

2020 Regional Collection Shiraz

Regional Collection

2020 barossa

shiraz

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OUR VINEYARD

Sunny days, mild nights, star filled skies and fertile soils are the ideal growing conditions for the 1700 acres of vineyard planted on the Zilzie property.

We also reach beyond our boundaries seeking exceptional parcels of fruit from some of Australia’s best know wine regions, including Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Coonawarra, and Wrattonbully.

Acres under vine: 1700 acres
Tonnage: 60,000 tonnes
Soil: rich, red loam and limestone strata
Climate: Mediterranean climate with dry summers, mild winters and low humidity
Growing season rainfall: 130 – 150mm
Vintage: Mid January and finishes in late April
Picking: Machine harvesting takes place during the cool of the night
Vine row orientation: East/West
Longitude: 142.2459984
Latitude: -34.3423022
Varieties: Prosecco, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Muscat Gordo Blanco, Petit Verdot, Colombard, Semillon

ENVIRONMENT

ZILZIE IS COMMITTED TO PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MINIMISING OUR IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF THE PLANET THROUGH:

 

Creating a Sustainability Culture: Communicating, collaborating  and encouraging initiatives that support environment & sustainability becoming an inherent attribute of our team & community.

Sustainability Education:  Raising awareness through education initiatives, packaging improvements & promoting good sustainability practises.

Carbon Emissions & Energy Usage: Actively reducing our carbon emissions and targeting 100% renewable energy by 2027.

Water & Wastewater Management: Sustainable water management that optimises usage and systems that reclaim, filter and reuse wastewater.  

Sourcing, Procurement & Supply Chain: Embedding our Environmental & Sustainability objectives into all sourcing tenders & supplier contracts to achieve our commitments to Sustainable Wine Growing Certification and Sustainable Packaging Guideline goals.

Waste Management & Recycling: Actively practise, promote & support “Reusable, Recyclable or Compostable” initiatives and reducing problematic unnecessary single use plastics and waste. 

Building a Sustainability Framework across the business: To drive our Environment & Sustainability Strategy.

  Monitoring, Measuring & Reporting: Actively monitor, measure & benchmark our performance against agreed targets and industry standards.

Given Zilzie’s location, water conservation has been a constant priority and continued efforts from the entire Zilzie team have seen a further reduction in water usage, down to an average of 2.17 litres of water per litre of wine produced over a five year period.

Zilzie’s commitment to water conservation and sustainability has evolved into a total Environmental Management Strategy. Zilzie are certified members of Sustainable Wine Growing Australia – the wine industry’s national environmental assurance program. 

In addition to the above Zilzie is committed to supporting the Sustainability Packaging Guideline initiatives.

The core components of our packaging are:

Glass bottles: on average are made from 30% recycled materials and are kerbside recyclable in most cities. 

Cardboard cartons: are made from 100% recycled materials and are kerbside recyclable in most cities

Screwcaps: are made from 70% recycled aluminium.

Dividers: we have removed unnecessary dividers (where is it safe to do so) from 81% of our product range, with plans to increase this 90% over coming year. We won’t be able to remove dividers from our Sparkling or Prosecco wines as it is not safe to do so at this time.

We currently use Carbon Reduced or lighter weight glass across 72% of our wines, and will be looking to introduce even lighter weight glass across some products in 2023. Lighter weight glass requires less resources and energy during the production of each bottle and requires less energy during transportation.

If you’d like further information on where to find Zilzie Wines in the US, please contact:

 

Ross Lukje
Zilzie Wines ~ VP Sales USA
480 297 5004
rosslukje@zilziewines.com

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