STORY BY LARISSA DUBECKI, PHOTOS BY CHRIS TURNER

Let’s raise a glass to the power of community. Thanks to Harriet and Henry Churchill of Zig Zag winery, it’s now possible to do that in a delightfully more literal sense than usual. Two years after the English ex-pats arrived in the Macedon Ranges area and became the latest “stewards”, as they describe it, of their beautiful three-hectare vineyard outside Malmsbury, they have just released their second label. Known as Kind Folk, it’s a celebration of the friends and volunteers who have emerged from the local community to help them realise their dream.

“Some people say we were adventurous, but it was really a bit crackers,” says Harriet of their move into wine. She and Henry are both experts in international sustainable food production but their segue into wine was an unexpected, passion-driven leap of faith. “We had our son Alby about a week before we took possession, so we were newcomers to parenting and to running a vineyard.”

It takes a village, as the saying goes, and the Kind Folk label is the liquid antidote to the era of individualism. The name references the community of people who believe in the power of a collective. From the vineyard’s previous owner who mentored the couple after the handover to other “seriously incredible” winemakers from the cool climate region and people who have helped work the vineyard, the Churchills have been awed by the spirit of the region.

“Kind Folk is at its heart a celebration of kindness and generosity. I’m not sure if you buy a winery just anywhere you get this kind of support. We couldn’t have done what we’ve done without them.”

The Kind Folk wines including a sauvignon blanc, and a merlot pet-nat are made “in the style we like to drink,” says Harriet. “Wild ferment, whole bunch press, time on skins. Our winemaking is moving to much more minimal intervention style, not interfering with the grape, telling the story of the vine. We’ve stopped all conventional spraying and chemicals.”

The year ahead is looking exciting. Through an introduction from their friend Michael Bascetta of Melbourne’s acclaimed Bar Liberty (the instigator of their unexpected journey into wine) their labels are about to be seen on the shelves of Blackhearts and Sparrows’ boutique wine shops in Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart.

The Zig Zag labels have recently been redesigned to reflect the winery’s unorthodox approach: “They tell the story of what we’ve put into it... things like, ‘Notes of love and laughter, tension and mid-life crisis.’”

Back at the vineyard, the cellar door is getting its own facelift with a bar made from old wine barrels accompanied by plans for regular events such as themed monthly meals, rhyme time in the vines as a respite for parents and a new approach to self-guided tastings.

“But for the time being Henry and I are saying, come along and bring a picnic and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.”

Zig Zag Rd. Wines hello@zigzagwines.com.au
201 Zig Zag Rd, Drummond North 5423 9390