The Auswine Forum

OK... I'm going to be doing a flying visit to Stanthorpe area soon and probably have time to drop in on one or two cellar doors .. haven't drunk any Granite Belt wines before so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on (a) good producers in the region, and (b) the varietals that best suit local conditions?
Cheers!

I went to Jester Hill a few weeks back. The Cellar door is quite large with plenty of room. You can get some food there too. We had a platter and it had the usual cold meats and cheese etc.
Their 2010 Touchstone Shiraz has won plenty of awards and is a nice little wine. Their sparkling shiraz and the cabernet and blends are not too bad.

In the best wines of 2013 one poster "gap" nominated a granite belt wine and also said the stickies were very good... they are the only person I think I have ever seen mention the region (I had one wine a Qld'r gave me a long time ago and thats it) ... not sure how often gap comes online but as the closest we have to an expert you could PM

Cool, thanks. Yeah my drinking is usually pretty SA-centric but I always like to expand my horizons and see what else is out there!

Boireann but probably not open
Pyramids Rd Wines - Basket Pressed, easy drinking styles, the winemaker is a really nice bloke.
Robert Channon Wines - nice whites
Ballandean - do some ok wines with some interesting varieties.

Perhaps not primarily a wine destination, LiraH produces a Nebbiolo that is harvested in winter, with the vines able to mature the grapes further without rotting. Something only dreamed of in Piedmont. Miniscule production though (1-2 barrels)

I was up there last weekend, on the way to a wedding in Northern NSW. First time I've been in 20 years. Where we stopped:

Boireann: Thoughtful range of reds, no whites. I bought the Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Shiraz Mouvedre. The two entry level wines - Shiraz and Merlot - were also very credible.
Robert Channon: Only tried the whites, we were in a hurry. Pinot Gris was round and musky front palate, but a bit harsh on the finish. Chardonnay credible, '12 Verdelho realyl good (we drank one last night with prawns), 13 was fuller and fatter.
Ridgemill Estate: Wine range of wines, and a recommended visit. I thought everything here was well made, even the wines in styles I dont like. Verdelho v good, Chardonnay v good if you like the matchsticky, lees stirred style. Tempranillo v good, Shiraz really good in the rich ripe Barossa fruit style, although softer tannins, and both Cabernet based wines good beyond my expectations. There is an amphora made Orange Wine here too - but not on tasting.

Also got to try Summit Estate Verdelho and Toppers Mountain Tempranillo - both good.

Cheese platter at Jersey Girls cafe at the Dairy was excellent.
Lunch at Suttons Farm was also excellent, and the cider is very pleasant.

With more time I would have stopped at Ravenscroft, and a few others.

Hope this is useful,

Andrew

More generally on the Granite Belt, the region is doing some clever things in terms of varietals - there is a regional promotion called Strange Bird, which is designed to draw attention to the significant range of alternative varieties planted there. The climate is unusual, being about 900m above sea level but quite low latitude - combination of temperature and sunlight conditions is different to the more southerly lower lying Australian regions.

Verdelho is a real regional specialty, and from the few I tasted, its a winner.
Lots of Tempranillo going in, and its good. Also some Graciano, Monastrell, Carinena.
Smatterings of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese, even Tannat.

Shiraz has been there since the beginning and can be good, but thats a tough market to be in for a region like Granite Belt.

AB

A bit of knowledge is probably dangerous and I'm certainly not an expert.

Queensland wines have rocketed ahead in quality and varieties in the last 10 years and are largely ignored by the majority of wine drinkers, possibly because of their past reputation which wasn't all that good and the fact that you just don't see them in the bottle shops.

However that is no excuse for not trying as many as possible whenever the chance presents itself.

We were in Stanthorpe a couple of weeks ago and purchased from (in no order):

Symphony Hill (whites) speak to the winemaker if you can - a very knowledgeable man.
Hidden Creek (whites)
Summit (whites)
Granite Ridge (reds)
Jester Hill (whites and reds)
Twisted Gum (reds)
Robert Channon (whites) the 2012 and 2013 Verdelho has to be the best in the region
Tobin (whites) possibly a step ahead of most
Banca Ridge (whites and reds) a training college with surprisingly good wines
Golden Grove (whites and reds) a great range, good value and delightful wine
Ballandean Estate (whites and reds) a must visit winery and across the road from Golden Grove. DO NOT confuse Ballandean Estate with any media reports about poisoning from homemade grappa. This winery has nothing to do with it and you may get a broken bottle shoved in your face if you suggest otherwise. Ok, maybe not a broken bottle, but you will quite rightly be informed of the facts.

The stickies from just about any winery from the Granite Belt are great.

We had a Boireann at dinner one night and would have gone there but ran out of time, which was the reason for not getting to a few more.

Check out this website for more information: http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.a ... densed.asp

Make the time to visit at least a couple of wineries - absolutely worth it.

Thanks for the info - have heard good things about Golden Grove and Ballandean Estate!

My suggestions would be (in no particular order):
* Ballandean Estate
* Tobin Wines
* Ridgemill Estate
* Pyramids Road
* Boireann Estate (looks like they are open at the moment, from their website)
* Ravenscroft
* Heritage Estate (I did work experience with them for a couple of months - their reserve chardonnay is very good)
* Wild Soul Wines

I also wanted to visit Bent Roads Wines, but didn't get a chance. I think you need to make an appointment there, though.

Maybe I was just unlucky, but none of the wines I tried from Golden Grove stood out as being particularly good to me. I must try them again some other time. Ballandean Estate, Tobin Wines and Golden Grove are pretty much opposite eachother, which is useful if you're short on time.

I did get to try the LiraH Nebbiolo -- it's called "Winter Nebbiolo" -- very good, though I don't think they have a cellar door? It's also the only wine they make, most of their other products seem to be vinegars.