Relatively unknown as a wine centre in comparison to its southern cousins due to its proximity to the tropics, Queensland has a small but burgeoning wine industry located in the higher altitude inland ranges which boast cooler climates and rich volcanic soils.
Grapes were actually first planted in the Granite Belt in the 1870s, but it is within the past decade that this region has started to flourish with more than 40 wineries and vineyards. Warm springs and cooler autumns of its high country towns like Stanthorpe encourage the growth of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay and viognier. South Burnett, centred around Kingaroy, is Queensland’s other main wine region, albeit much newer with viticulture dating back to just 1993. This sub-tropical region enjoys a diverse range of soil types where verdelho, chardonnay, semillon, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot all thrive.