Wines : Queensland

Until recently, Queensland was not known as a wine grape growing area as it was considered too close to the tropics and too hot to produce quality wines. But perceptive grape growers and wine makers noted that in the higher altitudes of the ranges running inland, there were cooler climates and rich volcanic soils.

As the pioneer vignerons to the Granite Belt region suspected, being 700 to 1000 metres above sea level allows the production of some stunning wines as the grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Viognier grow through warm springs and summers and relatively cool autumns.

(More information: www.wineaustralia.com)