Queensland Wine Regions

Queensland wines are getting better and better. The state's produce can be readily compared to any other emerging region. In such new areas, there are pioneers and amateurs. Some are "weekend winemakers" and the wines don't look consistently professional. Some are quite serious. Many are growing to a critical size where they can afford a full time qualified winemaker and invest in materials each year such as new barrels. This maturing of the Qld wine industry means that the more established areas - the Granite Belt and the Burnett, are not oddities but can be regarded as part of the list of exciting regions located along the top and western slopes of the Great Dividing Range from Qld in the north through NSW to Victoria in the South.

There are different altitudes where the grapes are grown - generally they are almost all clearly located on the higher ground. Vines prefer cooler regions and naturally enough, the higher altitudes in Qld provide it. The region around Kingaroy, known as "The Burnett", is quite similar to the Hunter Valley in terms of climate. The Granite Belt centred around the town of Stanthorpe is colder in winter and hotter in summer and can be compared to Mudgee. Both the Hunter Valley and Mudgee are well known for quality wines and it follows, that if Qld winemaking is of good quality, then good results will follow. The Granite Belt (around Stanthorpe) is about 3 hours drive to the south west of Brisbane and the Burnett region, near Kingaroy is about the same distance to the north west.

Whilst the Granite Belt and the Burnett region are the principal areas, there are other regions and the climates vary. Roma is quite hot - it is at a lower altitude and out west on flatter country. However it is very cold in winter and very hot in summer and early ripening aromatic varieties such as riesling and muscat are harvested early before they bake in the sun. Alternatively, grapes which ripen well are used to make the excellent Romavilla fortified wines - tawny and muscat. There are vineyards around Brisbane on the coastal plain. There are significant problems of high humidity and rainfall. Several operaters here have a winery with a small vineyard and then, due to the coastal humidity, they have large vineyards located at the Granite Belt. Both Mt Cotton Wines and Mt Tamborine Wines are examples - they are large producers and their winery and cellar door is quite close to Brisbane in order to attract the crowds - the grapes are trucked in. Both have very impressive multi million investment wineries and cellar door operations.

There is a very useful guide to Qld wine producers available free of charge. It is called "Queensland's Wineries" and it is published by The Qld Wine Project within the Qld Dept of State Development (tel 07 4639 3600, www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au). At this wintery time of the year, the Granite Belt has "Brass Monkey Season" where you can revel in the cold weather, staying at cosy bed and breakfast lodgings and sipping wine by open fires! There is a brochure available with all the offerings - contact the Qld Southern Downs Tourist Association (07 4661 3122). Most production consists of table wines. There are some exceptions and include good sparkling wines from Robinsons Family and Mountview. Romavilla and Golden Grove have excellent fortified wines. Ballandean Estate has a legendary dessert wine made of sylvaner which has been praised by Tom Stevenson - an international well known writer on Alsace wines (where sylvaner is an important grape). In terms of table wines, semillon, shiraz and cabernet have been very successful. There is some very good chardonnay emerging including elegant complex styles such as Ballandean Estate. Merlot shows great promise. Most shiraz wines are the style which leans to the "Rhone" model - with briar intense flavours and savoury oak rather than sweet evident American styles.

A summary of Qld regions and better known producers is:-

(a) Granite Belt

Known for semillon, chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet, dessert wines.

Ballandean Estate

Golden Grove

Robinsons Family

Bald Mountain

Heritage Wines

Rumbalara

Hidden Creek

Inigo

Severn Brae

Kominos

Stanthorpe Wine Co / Preston Peak

Mountview

Stone Ridge

(b) Burnett Valley

Known for semillon, chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet

Barambah Ridge

Burnett Valley Vineyards (Clovely, Left Field, Fifth Row)

Crane

Kingaroy Wines (Stuart Range Estate)

(c) Maranoa

Known for light table wines and excellent fortified wines.

Romavilla

Riversands Estate

(d) Darling Downs - Maclagan

Chardonnay, reds

Preston Peak

Rimfire

(e) Brisbane - Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast Hinterland

(Amberly, Esk, Mt Cotton, Mt Tamborine)

Ironbark Ridge

Mt Tamborine Wines / Flaxton Gardens

Mt Cotton

Delaney's Creek

Canungra Valley Vineyards

(f) Mt Perry / Bundaberg

Three Moon Creek

(g) North Qld Tableland - Herberton

Wild River Wines

Andrew Corrigan 2000