The Zema family go back a long way with Coonawarra wine, to the early 1950s when Samuel & David Wynn re established the historic John Riddoch wineworks under their own label. Matteo Zema was one of Wynn's first viticulturalists, hand pruning, picking and planting vines during the era when Coonawarra Shiraz was most successfully marketed as Claret. Grown to rich Terra rossa soils, Zema are renowned for the most memorable vintages in Coonawarra, their estate grown Shiraz is an edifying wine of charm, character and grace.

Grape growing and winemaking have been the most significant tradition of Zema family heritage dating back to the 1800s. The Zema family is proudly traditional in its approach to viticulture, favouring hand pruning and dry grown vines to maximise fruit quality. These techniques are enhanced by the family's three strategically selected vineyard locations, capitalising on the region's subtle climactic variations. Shiraz is vinified over the course of a week under controlled temperatures in a combination of rotary and static fermenters. The finished wine is treated to fourteen months maturation in small French and American oak hogsheads, achieving a seamless construct of Coonawarra Shiraz.