It was looking like there would be no Granite Belt Diaries this year as my life is ridiculously crowded and enveloped in an ocean of still unfolding uncertainty. I’ve decided to write a few words though as I feel I owe so much to the region and many of it’s lovely inhabitants. This years diaries don’t follow the usual time line format though. We have journeyed to the region twice so far this year – once in May for 2 nights for the celebration of Pyramids Road Wines 25th anniversary of wine making and more recently for 5 nights in early July.
Latest News
Varias and QCWT
When we dined at Varias on Friday 16th May this year we were told that Varias and QCWT might be closing. Apparently the University of Southern Qld had pulled out of the partnership during the second half of last year and staff were told they wouldn’t have jobs there anymore. The Queensland LNP Government were lobbied, by James Listner and others, to intervene and they agreed to financially support QCWT while expressions of interest were garnered. One of the expressions of interest was submitted by the local Chamber of Commerce – I believe Martin Cooper from Ridgemill Estate and his wife Michelle were very active in this submission. People were hoping that the local expression of interest would be successful especially as other expressions from entities outside Australia may have different agendas. We dined again at Varias, for lunch, enroute to our accommodation on Tuesday 8th July. We were told that the local chamber of commerce group had been successful in their expression of interest and QWCT would be renamed as The Precinct. The local group was due to take over in three weeks and staff had asked after information regarding what was happening but at this stage no specific information was forthcoming. However it has been reported that the local group intends the operation of ‘The Precinct’ to drive The Queensland College of Wine Tourism’s exciting new era that will support jobs, training, tourism, agribusiness and wine production. Now we all wait to see what these developments will be. I’m sure all locals and appreciative tourists alike are hoping that this entire college (including vineyards and wine making) and the excellent restaurant Varias continue to thrive. There is an online ABC news article about this here
“Dad, did you ask permission to take that photo”?
Sigh … 12 is the new 15!
Ballandean Estate to be Sold
Ballandean Estate, Queensland’s oldest winery, is on the market. I had to do a double take when I heard about this one. It seemed almost impossible, I guess I had just assumed that this iconic Granite Belt winery would go on forever under the Puglisi name. You can watch a video on Facebook about this one here. I have much appreciation, gratitude and happy memories of Ballandean Estate as I’m sure thousands, perhaps millions of people do. It seems like only a few years ago I used to sit in the dining area next to the fireplace and eat delicious food prepared by Mary Puglisi. I purchased 4 x 750 Ml bottles of the 1991 Late Harvest Sylvaner at the old cellar door counter directly from Angelo (we had a long conversation about the wine and the district), that wine was delicious as was the 1993. When I finished my last bottle of the 1991 I just couldn’t throw the empty out.
In 2012 the process of making the Late Harvest Sylvaner changed dramatically and they began producing it as a kind of ‘ice wine’. To do this the juice was placed in a refrigerated tank and went through several cycles in which an amount of the less dense juice was removed from the top layer so the resultant juice was more luscious with more concentrated flavours. The other changes were that the wine was sealed under screwcap and it was sold in 375 Ml bottles instead of the previously 750 Ml.
So many memories over the years as I visited and watched this winery develop, I could write about them forever. I wish the Puglisi’s a bright future and much happiness, you certainly have contributed enormous amounts to the high regard Queensland wine is now held in.
Just Red Wines is on the Market
The decision by Ballandean Estate to sell the winery was a considered one by the entire family, this decision by Just Red Wines was forced by unfortunate circumstances. A serious illness in the family has left Julia in a situation where she has to do all/most of the work and this is of course unsustainable. Julia’s brother Clive has been helping out when he can and, during our stay, was busy cutting canes in the vineyard. Myself, and I’m sure, thousands of others who have visited the Just Red cellar door or experienced Just Red hospitality by staying in the cottages wish Tony and Julia a swift sale of the winery so they can navigate the next stage of their journey. Years ago I asked Warren Smith at Pyramids Road Wines if there were any new ‘good’ wines in the region I could try. Warren had one reply, “Have you tried Tony Hassall’s Tannat?” That recommendation from Warren sparked a long association in which I greatly enjoyed the wines of Tony and Michael Hassall and yes, especially the Tannat which is a stunning wine. In more recent years Tony began making a blend which is also a high quality drinking and cellaring wine – the CMT a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Tannat blend. I haven’t yet discovered just how long Tony’s Tannat and CMT will cellar for as they are too delicious and just seem to disappear. My oldest CMT and Tannat are now only 2018.
Tony possesses a lot of knowledge and was a Viticultural Officer for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. He has written a most informative book about The Granite Belt titled, “Winegrape Growing In The Granite Belt – A Practical Guide”. I purchased one of these books from Tony a few years ago and he autographed it personally. I refer to this book, published in 2020, often as it contains a wealth of useful information. If you don’t have a copy and have interest in the region I recommend you order one.
Granite Belt Wine Centre
In the Granite Belt Diaries 2022 I mentioned the development of a Granite Belt Wine Centre at that stage expected to be completed in around 18 months.
The venue has now been named The Church Local Wine Project and is expected to open very soon – it looked almost complete when I visited the area on Sunday morning 13th July. When I asked about the operation in March this year on Instagram the reply was, “Yes, we’ve invited all of our amazing local wine producers to be part of our collaborative project. In addition to wines on display, we will be showcasing 16 different wines weekly from our self-service machines. We also have one of our iconic producers as the ‘Winery of the Week’ conducting a full hosted tasting of their range of wines. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Ballandean when we open soon!”
This concept, which does exist in some other regions, will be a first for the Granite Belt and promises to be a useful centre of information for visitors who can then ‘centrally’ decide which wineries they’d like to visit. Address is:
12 Bents Road
Ballandean 4382
Just off the New England Highway, on the right as you approach the small township from Stanthorpe.
Please support this initiative I’m confident your support will be returned in abundance.
What’s Happened to Boireann Winery?
A lot of people ask me this question and I don’t have any definitive answer. I can report that Brad Rowe was initially very enthusiastic and highly motivated. Brad made some excellent wines especially in the 2019 vintage. His 2019 Mourvèdre won awards and was widely recognised as a great rendition of the variety. I have purchased many of Brad’s 2019 wines, personally my palate places the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon at the very apex of his 2019 wines and the Sangiovese is the best Granite Belt GI Sangiovese I have ever encountered.
Update: Because I had no first hand information I rang Brad today (7th August 2025). A long enjoyable conversation ensued with who is still the very affable Brad Rowe. Brad explained that he has a very young family who require a lot of attention from him and, rightly so, Brad is keen to give them the time they need. Additionally there have been some setbacks. Brad had planted a lot of vines towards the front of the property and they didn’t thrive because of the wet. Brad has lost an entire vintage from a huge hail storm and there have been some ‘killer’ frosts – Frosts are something that used to plague Peter Stark as well. The good news is that Brad enjoys living and working at Boireann and he estimates that the gates to the Boireann Cellar Door will be open next vintage but certainly by the following vintage. It will be great to see the return of Brad behind the counter at Boireann. Brad said he tried a 2016 Rosso recently and it was ‘still pretty zippy’. My memory is that the 2016 Rosso was absolutely superb and if you have some don’t rush to drink them yet. Brad asked if I have tried a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon recently and I replied that apart from the initial one for tasting I hadn’t gone near one. Just reading that tasting note now it may be time to crack one and see how they’re travelling. I’ll certainly crack at least one Boireann wine very soon, either the Sangiovese or the Cabernet Sauvignon, to celebrate the upcoming return of Brad and Boireann. Both the Boireann and Pyramids Road 2019 Cabernet Sauvignons were rippers. So, all in all, there is still a 12 month plus wait for the Gates of Boireann to re-open but, very encouragingly, an unlocking will occur soon enough.
New Tricks Lyra and The Return of Robbo
A talented local winemaker who had left the region a few years back is about to return. Craig ‘Robbo’ Robinson from Robinsons Family Vineyard is returning as the in house winemaker at New Tricks Winery at Lyra on Curtin Road – fittingly just down the road from where the Robinsons Family Vineyard was located. The New Tricks Lyra Cellar Door will be opening soon. Robbo is an excellent wine maker and will only add more value to the region via his talent and wide knowledge. Great choice New Tricks and I’m looking forward to acquiring more wines made by Robbo! You can follow Craig Robinson on instagram here -> VintageNomad7. Craig is the son of John and Heather Robinson who are acknowledged pioneers in The Granite Belt Wine Industry. Together they established the Robinsons Family Vineyard at Curtin Road in Lyra in 1969. In 1975 one of John’s wines won a gold medal at the Brisbane RNA Show. John’s wine making was an integral part of Granite Belt wine being recognised more broadly. In 2008 John’s contribution to the Queensland Wine Industry was recognised when he was presented with the Bassett Award by Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle. Craig was an astute student of wine making in the company of his father. He has often been sought after by other local winemakers for his opinion during their blending sessions. I have been fortunate to taste a range of Craig’s wines over many years and they are both excellent and age worthy. There are many local connections with the Robinsons Family Vineyard e.g. in his early days in the industry the now current wine maker at Ridgemill Estate Peter McGlashan used to tend vines in the Robinsons Family Vineyard.
During the annual mourvèdre blind tasting at Pyramids Road Wines, Craig brought one of his dads aged Cabernet Sauvignon wines. From memory this was in 2014 and the wine was at least 25+ years old, certainly it was full of tertiary characters and the entire group thoroughly enjoyed this beauty, it wasn’t a mourvèdre but was awarded wine of the night anyway.
Little Black Book 2ND Edition
I mentioned a Little Black Book in the Diaries in 2023. This book is now in it’s second edition and is a great local resource which will certainly help you make decisions planning and during your visit. It’s completely free and available at many local businesses. I got the current edition at Jamworks.
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I’ll mention, in passing, that St. Judes Cellar Door Bistro has now permanently closed. This development means there aren’t many places to eat around this part of The Granite Belt especially for breakfast. Jamworks will always be the go to place for breakfast and also very good for lunch while The Ballandean Pub is great for lunch and even better for dinner. If, instead, you feel more like a pizza then check availability and then visit Balancing Heart Vineyard.
Vintages
The good news is that both 2023 and 2024 vintages have been excellent across The Granite Belt GI. Of course Vintages aren’t Vineyards so the broad statement doesn’t necessarily apply to specific vineyards. However 2023 has been so good it does apply to most vineyards and varieties in the region and 2024 is just a shaving behind, although it is looking as a better vintage for Shiraz. Wherever you encounter wines from 2023 or 2024 in the region please taste first but I’m sure you’ll buy with confidence in almost all cases. 2025 Vintage is a slight step back as the region was visited by a lot of rain during veraison. It’s always important to enquire about viticultural practices in vineyards as this gives you some valuable information about management of crops and provides some clues regarding wine quality in more challenging vintages. It is generally fortunate for wine purchasers that most vineyards in The Granite Belt are small and managed very ‘hands on’ as this provides the best practices for managing more challenging vintages. Personally I have found that wines from hands on vineyards in more challenging vintages can be very good but often need more time in the bottle to express their best qualities. This was particularly true for the very cold 2008 vintage and the very wet 2011 vintage. Of course if you are a primary fruit lover you may not necessarily enjoy young wines in challenging vintages from any wine region in the world. Finally – always appreciate that, in general, the more hands on a vineyard is the less artificially nuanced the final product is likely to be.
Trip Highlights
We did the usual lunch at Varias on the way through to our accommodation at Just Red Wines see photo of Aria above in section Varias and QCWT. We are so pleased that the restaurant and winery isn’t closing, it’s a genuine landmark in the region and an excellent restaurant. As has become a habit of late I purchased some 2023 Petit Verdot on the way out and some 2024 Albarino. These are my two favourite wines at QCWT and may Arantza and students keep making these two varieties at least as long as I continue to visit the region! Of course our meals were excellent, we tried to return on Saturday for dinner but left it too late to arrange and the restaurant was fully booked.
On Wednesday 9th July the CVT (Automatic Transmission) on our Kia decided it had had enough after we had breakfast at Tenterfield at The Corner Store and were returning to the township on Kildare Road after visiting Mt Mackenzie Lookout. We still have to return to Kia at Warwick after they finish the, under warranty, $15,000.00 repair. Our good friends Graeme and Pauline collected us from Tenterfield and we all had dinner at The Ballandean Pub. The Pub is a genuine credit to Adam Penberthy who, in turn, has given a lot to the region. The exponential growth in popularity of the Ballandean Pub can only be attributed to the efforts and skills of this truly unique personality. The Ballandean Pub is unrecognisable compared to what it was just 2 years ago. We had dinner again at The Ballandean Pub on Friday night without realising that it was Karaoke Night. Dinner was great, some of the best food you could hope to encounter in an Australian Pub, but ‘the vibe’ was astounding. Both groups and individuals were sharing the Karaoke microphone with unbridled enthusiasm and relishing the entire experience with obvious unmitigated joy both behind the bar serving customers and winding through the exceptionally animated crowd stopping repeatedly for short ‘happy’ conversations went Adam with a genuine smile and exuding a welcoming exhilarated delight. You just have to visit The Ballandean Pub on a Friday night, if it’s not your thing you’ll likely never return on a Friday evening but you will be unable to deny that you have witnessed something extraordinary.
Adam is entrepreneurial and has a good business head to accompany his zeal. I have no doubt he knows how to drive a hard deal but he is also so obviously having fun in life and it’s infectious. He has a great love of wine and the wine industry and I suspect, even though I thought it would be impossible, that what he’s currently involved in has given him even more energy!
On Thursday we had breakfast at another highly successful local business – Jamworks.
This was the first time, although some past occasions have run close, in all the years I’ve been visiting Jamworks that we had to park outside on the footpath. When I placed our order at the counter I remarked, “Really busy today” and the reply came, “Oh this is nothing you should have seen it yesterday”. Below .. today .. not yesterday.
It’s worthwhile noting that we have been eating breakfast at Jamworks since it first opened and the standard has never dropped, breakfast is always scrumptious! We purchased our usual Tomato Relish and a new product to try a Mediterranean Chutney.
Friday was hectic I had to drop Liliana and Aria off in town from Just Red Wines and then drive to Rees Road to catch up with Andy Williams in his new hideout.
I’ve been catching up with Andy each year now for a number of years, actually since July 2022 and should have started this way earlier as Andy is such a friendly guy and full of local and wine making knowledge. It’s always an informative delight to catch up with Andy. He’s been busy, as usual, making wines for more than one cellar door. A wine I’m especially interested in is an estate Lagrein slowly maturing in barrels – some French and some Acacia. I believe this will be the only estate grown Lagrein on The Granite Belt so exciting indeed. Further interest is added by the Acacia Barrel, Andy says it makes the wines a little more luscious in that it amplifies aromas and flavours. From barrel tastings, comparing French and Acacia, my palate experienced what I would describe as a smoother flow compared to French Oak. It’s as though the transitions in the wine – fruit/oak/acid/tannins – are less noticeable which creates a straighter and smoother line along your palate or, if you prefer, a perception of better balance. There is some similarity here to barrels cured by water but Acacia may be more effective.
Above: Lagrein maturing in Acacia at left and French Oak at right.
Andy has been making very good Tempranillo wines for a number of years but one of the acknowledged local masters of Tempranillo is Ray Costanzo at Golden Grove Estate. So for this vintage to maximise his chances Andy has sourced fruit from Golden Grove Estate and additionally is making the wine in a Crianza style. I can’t wait to sample this Crianza Tempranillo and perhaps a few side by sides with Ray’s Golden Grove Temp!
In this new Andy Williams hideout there are older Estate Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot, Aglianico, Montepulciano, Lagrein and Vermentino vines and newer Albariño, Fiano and Viognier. Additionally Saperavi vines will soon be planted. So lots to anticipate in this exciting new development, I’ll keep posting updates as information becomes available.
I had to leave Andy way too early due to the day’s schedule so around 12:30 I was headed back to town to collect the girls and return them to Just Red Wines in time for Aria’s friend Noa to arrive. After Noa’s arrival myself and Liliana headed for lunch at Jamworks and then to Rokkwell to catch up with Dawn. Dawn and myself had been out of sync on my last two trips so I was really looking forward to this catchup even though it was going to be rather brief. We arrived at Rokkwell around 3:30. The view from the new cellar door is lovely, that’s the Ballandean Hills in the distance where you’ll see some of the most stunning sunsets on the planet, perhaps only rivalled on the north of Santorini near IA. Today we were a little too early for the sunset.
The new cellar door inside is a cosy and inviting space and most especially when you encounter an enthusiastic and smiling Dawn.
Dawn is one of the newer winemakers in the region however she is a genuine standout talent and recognised as such by many far more experienced local winemakers. If you haven’t tried Rokkwell wines before then I suggest you do as there will be something there for all palates to enjoy. Dawn is soon to release a Nero d’Avola and is the only winery on The Granite Belt that has planted Teroldego – you may have to wait a few seconds for the Youtube Video to begin.
I’m familiar with a number of Dawn’s wines so I didn’t taste them all. I was especially interested in the Lagrein and not interested in the pet nat at all but Liliana wanted to try it. I don’t enjoy pet nat – OK it’s a personal thing – many others do. I did have a small taste of Liliana’s pour and credit is due as this is definitely the best pet nat I’ve tried anywhere but it’s still not a drop for me. The tasting description on the wine list though is very accurate: yellow nectarine, pear, grapefruit and fresh cut lime. The wine, as described, certainly does have ‘spritzy energy’ and the limes are Tahitian not Kaffir. In retrospect I could see myself enjoying this pet nat as a lively apéritif especially in summer. The 2022 Fumé Blanc is still travelling well, if you have some there’s no rush to consume this beautiful wine if you don’t have any you’ll have to be quick stocks are dwindling fast. There’s a tasting note Here.
I’ve probably said enough already about Dawn’s Nebbiolo Rosé. Nebbiolo is a great choice for making rosé and I haven’t tasted a better Nebbi rosé than Dawns. Tasting note is Here. The 2024 Alfrocheiro is a variety I’ve never experienced before. It’s a great food wine and, while it is fruit forward and juicy, it has more tannin than I expected. The 2023 Lagrein is a superb wine, it’s bursting with colour and flavour and was my favourite wine in the lineup. You can read about it Here.
Reluctantly we had to leave Rokkwell but not before purchasing 3 x 2023 Nebbiolo Rosé because my stocks had run dry and 3 x 2023 Lagrein. I now realise I should have also added at least 1 Alfrocheiro because this is such an interesting wine and I would have enjoyed spending some time with it. Besides tasting a range of exciting and skillfully crafted wines another reason to visit Rokkwell is that Dawn is a truly lovely human being and she will look after you. It is always an uplifting experience to spend personal time with an estate winemaker who makes you feel like you’re the only other person there – Dawn’s skills are not just limited to viticulture and wine making.
Arriving back at Just Red Wines we relaxed in Shiraz Cottage for a short time and then headed to The Ballandean Pub for dinner. Of course we didn’t realise that Friday night was Karaoke night – described earlier in these diaries. The food was on song as usual and the two girls declined the Karaoke microphone in favour of the outside playground area – another great idea from Adam.
Aria and Noa returned to Brisbane with Noa’s mum on Saturday morning so myself and Liliana had lunch at the Brass Monkey Brew House. I completely forgot to take any photos but I can assure everyone who hasn’t visited this brewery yet that Ernie Butler has a genuine talent. There are some photos on Instagram from a visit in October last year, just follow This Link. We ordered a pizza – beware the pizza sizes they’re larger than you’d expect – it’s easy to over order! I began with a well brewed stout and followed this with a Red Irish Lager. The Red Irish Lager was so good I just had to get some takeaways which promptly disappeared shortly after I returned to Brisbane. The web site doesn’t have an online order facility but you can call the brewery on 0488967401 and they’ll take your order for delivery.
After the brewery we headed south to Wyberba as we had to collect our members pack from Pyramids Road Wines. I had called Sue awhile ago asking her to put aside another 4 x 2023 Mourvèdre, so we also had those to collect. Anyone who has tasted the Pyramids Road 2023 Mourvèdre would understand my additional order. You can read a tasting note Here. The 2024 Pyramids Road Mourvèdre is another great example of this variety. I haven’t tried any under tasting note conditions yet, the one I tried at the winery cellar door certainly impressed. Warren made the comment that he suspects the 2023 Mourvèdre will cellar longer than the 2024. He explained that the different vintage conditions allowed him to leave the fruit on the vines a little longer in 2023 which resulted in a little more fruit weight compared to the 2024 vintage.
After tasting the wine I added a few more of the 2024 Shiraz to my pack. Warren confirmed my decision saying that the 2024 Shiraz will be a genuine standout across all of his Shiraz vintages. Now I’m wondering … will it be up there with the great 2005? Tasting notes for the 2024 Mourvèdre and 2024 Shiraz will be coming soon, if the 2024 is looking anything like the 2005 Shiraz I’ll be securing more.
Sue was recovering from what had been an impressive head cold and she had just passed it onto Warren to hold for her and Warren wasn’t holding too well. So we were mindful not to overstay and stress their systems.
Above: Warren preaching to the multitude on Members Day 17th May, 2025. This was a special members day as it marked 25 years of wine making at Pyramids Road Wines. There truly was a multitude as members who sent their attendances in too late had to be, sadly, told there was no room left.
We returned to Shiraz Cottage and decided to chill there for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We checked out the next day and after a quick tasty breakfast at Jamworks we headed back to Brisbane with a quick stop at Sutton’s Juice Factory. We stopped at Sutton’s because Aria had requested a carton of her favourite Cloudy Apple Juice. The carton, containing 8 one litre bottles, lasted just one week.
Our final stop was a very short one at Heritage Estate Winery. I tasted a new Nero d’Avola, it was light and refreshing with Granite Belt acidity and red fruited, not complex but as they say ‘a lot of fun’. The fruit comes from their Cottonvale Vineyard and, because there was good fruit volume, Heritage have decided to make a range of different Nero’s. This one is the first released and there will be more serious wines to come. There is also a new Sangiovese identified as ‘Thulimbah’ to indicate it comes from a Thulimbah vineyard owned by Dave Cox who has recently leased it to Heritage Estate. A tasting note will eventually be coming for this wine after I have cellared it a little longer. There are also two rows of Mourvèdre in the Thulimbah vineyard but the associated wines aren’t ready yet.
That’s a wrap for this year. Due to the vehicle breakdown and our stronger needs for chill time we didn’t visit the usual number of wineries and other places. Nevertheless our visit was very enjoyable and we’d like to thank all the local businesses and individuals we encountered for their friendly welcome and hospitality. Because Steve and Lisa were away we also decided not to do the annual mourvèdre blind tasting. The tasting may happen if we visit again later this year otherwise it will be next year.
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Granite Belt Diaries Links:
The Granite Belt Diaries June 2026
The Granite Belt Diaries June 2024
The Granite Belt Diaries May-June 2023
The Granite Belt Diaries July 2022
