EXPLORE QUEENSLAND

Your guide to the best flavours from the winegrowing regions.

"Close to 20 Queensland producers are listed in the 2016 Halliday Wine Companion, all of them small and most of them family-owned."

Surprisingly for a State that is considered warm by most standards, Queensland is home to several grape-growing areas with the cooler Granite Belt, just north of the NSW border, by far the highest profile. Others to watch include the South Burnett region outside Kingaroy, the Gold Coast Hinterland and the Darling Downs. Close to 20 Queensland producers are listed in the 2016 Halliday Wine Companion all of them small and most of them family-owned. The names range from regional pioneers Ballandean Estate, Golden Grove Estate and Robert Channon Wines on the Granite Belt near Stanthorpe - where there has been much experimentation with alternative grape varieties - to more recent arrivals like the spectacular Sirromet facility at Mount Cotton between Brisbane and the Gold Coast (although it uses primarily Granite Belt fruit) and high-flying Symphony Hill and Boireann. Family-owned Ballandean Estate swept all five major industry gongs at the 2015 Queensland Wine Awards.

Granite Belt

Much of the state of Queensland is too warm for growing quality wine grapes (although fruit wines are popular in the north of the state). The most prominent wine region is the high-elevation Granite Belt where the nights are cool enough to produce quality fruit. Production centres in and around the small towns of Stanthorpe and Ballandean, just over the border from New South Wales. Star names include Ballandean Estate, Symphony Hill, Robert Channon, Boireann and Golden Grove Estate. The region is probably best known for a wide range of alternative varieties such as durif, mourvedre, tempranillo, gewurztraminer and vermentino.

"The region is best known for a wide range of alternative varieties such as durif, mourvedre, tempranillo, gewurztraminer and vermentino."

At most of the cellar doors you will be greeted either by the winemaker or the grape grower. The Granite Belt is also a major food bowl for Queensland and apples and their by-products are a regional highlight. As well as being country gourmet destination, the region is surrounded by national parks and prehistoric granite formations.

MUST-VISIT CELLAR DOORS

Ballandean Estate is Queensland's oldest family-owned and operated winery and the Puglisi family have been making wine here since 1931. The rustic cellar door is extremely welcoming and a daily tour is conducted each morning. The Italian-accented Barrel Room Café is open for lunch and dinner six days (closed Tuesdays) and the tables are surrounded by old wine barrels.

At welcoming Golden Grove Estate, the Costanzo family's offerings include a range of lesser-known grape varieties including barbera, vermentino and nero d'Avola, and the property overlooks a local creek.

Also don't miss Symphony Hill, a modern and dynamic winery that has attracted a lot of interstate interest.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT EACH STATE AND THEIR WINE REGIONS

Important information:

~Big Wine Sale Up to 65% off: Offer ends 15 June 2023 11:59pm (AEST) unless sold out prior. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time. 

''*^Earn 30,000 bonus Qantas Points. Offer ends 30 June 2023 11:59pm (AEST) unless sold out prior. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time. 

<Qantas Business Rewards: Earn 15,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend $1,000 or more. Offer ends: 31 July 2023. Offer is only valid to Qantas Business Rewards members and orders have to be placed online at qantas.com/wine. Bonus Qantas Points will be awarded to the nominated Qantas Business Rewards account based on the total amount spent per transaction by the Qantas Frequent Flyer member. Offer will be awarded on top of any other bonus Qantas Points on eligible Qantas Wine purchases during this period. Allow up to 8 weeks after the offer ends, for points to appear in your Qantas Business Rewards account. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time.

>Shop EOFY with Qantas Wine: Offer ends 30 June 2023 11:59pm (AEST) unless sold out prior. Qantas may withdraw or extend these offers at any time.

**Hennessy Competition: Win a trip to the USA with Hennessy. Competition will run from 1 May - 30 Sep 2023. This competition is not affiliated with Qantas. Visit https://spiritofthenba.h ennessy.com/pages/terms- conditions for full competition terms and conditions.

1. Qantas Frequent Flyer members who are not Qantas Wine Premium members will earn 1 Qantas Point per dollar spent and Qantas Wine Premium members will earn 3 Qantas Points per dollar spent on Eligible Products and Services purchased through qantas.com/wine. Qantas Points can be earned on cash only purchases and the cash component of Points Plus Pay purchases on eligible products. The earning and redemption of Qantas Points are subject to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Terms and Conditions. Allow up to 6 weeks for Qantas Points to appear in your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.

2. Available for delivery within Australia only, subject to availability.

3. Bonus points available on selected cases only. The selected cases can change at any time.

4. Qantas Business Rewards members that have provided an individual Qantas Frequent Flyer number in their Qantas Business Rewards account before making a purchase will earn 2 Qantas Points per dollar spent for the business. The business’ name and individual Qantas Frequent Flyer number linked with the Qantas Business Rewards account must be added at checkout in order to earn points for the business. Qantas Points for the business are earned in addition to the points earned by the individual Qantas Frequent Flyer. Retrospective claims cannot be made. The additional points will be credited to the Qantas Business Rewards account within 30 days of purchase. For more information visit Qantas Business Rewards.

5. Points Club members will receive complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership for the duration of their Points Club membership. Points Club Plus members will receive complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership, plus an additional 10% discount on marked prices at Qantas Wine on all products, excluding Penfolds, for the duration of their Points Club Plus membership. 10% discount will be applied at checkout and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or voucher code, except for the Points Club Plus birthday vouchers. To activate the complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership, Points Club and Points Club Plus members will need to log into qantas.com/wine and the Qantas Wine Premium membership will automatically be added to their cart and benefits will be applied. For more information on Points Club visit qantas.com/pointsclub

All wine brands in the Sustainable Sips program hold Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Certification. Certified wineries have been independently audited against the Australian wine industry sustainability standard. While this means that practices within the winery meet the industry sustainability standard, there is no guarantee that all grapes used to make the wine have been sourced from a certified sustainable vineyard.

Liquor Act 2007 (NSW): It is an offence to sell or supply to or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Licence Number: NSW LIQP770016736, NT IRL0201, SA 57900154

For more Terms and Conditions, please click here.

We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.