Lewis White announced as new winemaker at Zema Estate

Written By Campbell Mattinson

RELEASE

Zema Estate has announced the appointment of Lewis White as Winemaker, marking the next chapter in the winery’s 44-year history while reinforcing its long-standing commitment to regional knowledge and hands-on family involvement.

Since releasing its first vintage in 1982, Zema Estate has worked with just four winemakers - Tom Simons, Greg Clayfield, Joe Cory, and now Lewis White - all of whom have lived and worked locally, contributing directly to the strength and evolution of the Coonawarra wine community.

Lewis joins Zema Estate following more than a decade in Australian winemaking, most recently as Head Winemaker at Rymill Coonawarra, a role he has held since 2020.

A highly regarded cool-climate winemaker, he holds a Bachelor of Wine Science from Charles Sturt University and has worked across Coonawarra, Tasmania, McLaren Vale, the Hunter Valley, the Adelaide Hills, and internationally in Sussex, UK.

Lewis said he was drawn to Zema Estate’s clear sense of identity and long-term approach.

“Zema Estate has a strong reputation in Coonawarra, and I’ve always respected the quality and consistency of the wines,” Lewis said. “It’s an exciting opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the 2026 vintage in a few months.”

Campbell Mattinson

This post was written by Campbell Mattinson. Mattinson is a former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of The Winefront business. He is the author of five books on wine – four of which were bestsellers (The Wine Hunter, the Big Red Wine Book 2008, the Big Red Wine Book 2009, and the Big Red Wine Book 2010).

Mattinson is also the founder of the Mattinson Photography business.

Campbell Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer for forty years. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the national Best Australian Sports Writing Award. In 2026 three of his photographs were short-listed for the World Food Photography Awards.

Campbell Mattinson, who is 100% independent, has tasted between 5000 and 10,000 wines each and every year for the past 25 years. He tastes blind, in comparative brackets, as often as is practicable.

Campbell Mattinson is a journalist, a photographer, a filmmaker and a wine critic. In all of these mediums his prime motive is to tell people's stories.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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