The Granite Belt has had a long history of viticulture and winemaking with table grapes. Since the first Shiraz vines were planted in 1965 the region has grown fitfully, but dramatic growth is envisaged, with emphasis now being placed on Chardonnay, Verdelho, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wineries of the Granite Belt are small to medium in size and owned and managed by families and individuals with a passion to make great Queensland wine. The region's vineyards have incorporated modern trellising, trickle irrigation and protection methods and are important sources of grapes for major winemaking projects outside the district.

The Granite Belt is one of the highest grape growing regions in Australia, with vineyards planted at over 1000 metres above sea level.

Notwithstanding the extreme northerly latitude, its situation on the inner or eastern spine of the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of more than 800 metres (2625 feet) makes this a table wine region. Spring frosts, cold nights at the beginning and end of the season, relatively high humidity, peak summer temperatures moderated by sub-tropical monsoon influences and intermittent heavy late season rainfall all contribute to a climate that could be regarded as unusual; a climate which has been described as both cold and warm.

It is in fact a lot cooler than most expect, as confirmed by its late harvest dates. Cool winter and spring weather make the Granite Belt an ideal viticultural area and an attractive tourist destination.

The Granite Belt, a massive granite intrusion approximately 200 million years old, is the northern most extension of the New England Tableland, a stepped plateau of hills and plains with elevations of between 600 and 1500 metres (1,968 to 4,921 feet) on Permian sedimentary rocks, intrusive granites and extensive Tertiary basalts. Rainfall, temperature and soils change with topography and bedrock. The vegetation is extremely diverse, with a high degree of endemism as instanced by the more than 70 species of Eucalyptus, one third of which are endemic or near endemic to the bioregion. The most spectacular scenery is at the southern end of the region, where streams have dissected the granite to produce dramatic boulder-strewn landscapes.

The two principal soil types are a highly permeable, granite speckled sandy, grey-black soil and a light brownish grey, also speckled. Such soils are quite different to those encountered in most Australian wine regions. The subsoils are bleached sand passing into clay at depth; while their drainage is good, the need for irrigation is increased.

 

Queensland is rapidly gaining a reputation for producing the best Verdelhos in Australia. This variety appears to be well suited to  warmer days and cool night. Wines are often aromatic, with herbaceous and tropical fruit flavours.

 

This variety performs very well in the region. The wine tends to be soft but has pleasant and clear varietal character in a nectarine and melon spectrum. The best wooded wines are usually well structured and have great length. Most producers also produce unwooded Chardonnay.

Viognier

Plantings of Viognier have increased rapidly over the past five years. White wines are often dry, with a fruity, citrus palate. Small quantities of Viognier may be added to Shiraz to give lightness, delicacy and perfume to the red wine.

 

Like Shiraz, this wine is full, dark and rich in flavour – at times perhaps rather too much so. Cassis, red berry and sweet fruit flavours predominate, attesting to the warm climate and the often vanillin oak.

 

This is the one consistently distinctive wine style of the region; dark in colour, strong in body, flavour and tannins. Above all else, is its redolent of spice when young, developing into a soft, sweet velvety fruit with time in bottle, reminiscent of the Shiraz from the Hunter Valley.

 

While the modern history of the South Burnett region dates back only as far as 1993, vines were first planted in the early 1900s and wine for home consumption was made from some of these vines. As in the Granite Belt, table grapes were used both for winemaking and for eating in the early days.

In 1994, a report commissioned in conjunction with the Queensland Government to assess the agricultural and winery potential of the region (The Macarthur Report) revealed very similar viticultural and climatic conditions to those of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, making the South Burnett ideal for wine production.

The town of Kingaroy is the geographical centre of the South Burnett region, which is defined by Blackbutt and the Brisbane and Coast Ranges in the east, the Great Divide to the south-west and west, and the Central Burnett and Burnett River to the north. The Stuart and Booie Ranges run from south to north through the centre of the region, with the gentle, undulating countryside of the Stuart and Boyne River plain in the west and Barkers Creek in the east.

The climate can be classed as sub-tropical. November through to March is warm, with and the heaviest rainfall during December, January and February.
There is a diverse range of soils, described in ascending order as light sands, a variety of light clay red soils through to brown and black clays. The red, brown and black soils are of moderate to high fertility, and all have a pH level suited to viticulture.
 

South Burnett Verdelho has been well received. This variety appears to be well suited to warmer days and cool night. Wines are often aromatic, with herbaceous and tropical fruit flavours. Queensland is rapidly gaining a reputation for producing the best Verdelhos in Australia.

 

As one might expect, this ever-flexible and accommodating variety performs well in the region. The wine tends to be soft but has pleasant and clear varietal character in a nectarine and melon spectrum. The use of quality oak and modern winemaking practices has produced many wines with good complexity and structure, but the unwooded Chardonnay also works quite well.

 

The style of the Semillon is better compared to that of the Upper Hunter than the Lower Hunter. In other words, it mirrors some of the softness of the region’s Chardonnay and is relatively quick to develop. However, it does provide a distinctive varietal flavour, with some citrus and herb, and it is not surprising to find it in second place in the white wine plantings.