Apple & Grape - Vote Now

Stanthorpe's Apple & Grape Harvest Festival is currently listed in the Top 300 icons in the state.

As part of the Q150 celebrations you can vote - see how far up the list we can get this festival which invented wine tourism in Queensland. To vote note - click here

The Festival returns to Queensland's apple and grape capital on 5th, 6th and 7th March 2010 - click for more.

Qld Vote Goes to the Wire

In the end “Australia” won by the narrowest of margins. The question posed to online pollsters recently was “how should wine from the Queensland wine capital be labelled: Granite Belt, Queensland or Granite Belt, Australia?”

The survey was conducted online by Granite Belt Wine & Tourism Inc (GBWT). Voting closed this week with “Australia” winning by one per cent. Learn more - click

Newest bird on the block

This is another one to add to the Strange Bird collection on the Granite Belt alternative wine trail. It's from Georgia (on the Black Sea, not the one in the USA) and its a little red grape called Saperavi.

The first vintage of this newest addition to the Strange Bird line-up has just been completed at Ridgemill Estate just south of Stanthorpe. Believed to be the first vintage of this variety in Queensland, these grapes are being lovingly turned into red wine, in Ridgemill's inimitable style. The first harvest was very very small so release will be restricted to a few select people later this year.

If you've already enjoyd Saperavi - leave a comment.

Strange Bird meets Nude Food on the Granite Belt

It's a nude calendar with a difference. Plans are well underway for Granite Belt Wine & Tourism's new nude food and wine calendar for 2010.

The calendar concept builds on two successful self-drive trails through and around the town of Stanthorpe which is Queensland's apple and grape capital. Strange Bird is the name given to the Granite Belt alternative wine trail. Nude Food is the name of the region's food trail which promotes the fact that food in region and food in season is what nature intended. It's nude!

Nude of course doesn't have to mean rude...as depicted so well in the hit comedies Calendar Girls and The Full Monty. Inspired by Adam & Eve, on the Granite Belt the bird is tempted by the apple.

Each month has a food and wine theme and a community competition is being held to select twelve photos. Learn more: Photo competition. Advertising opportunities. About the Granite Belt

Snow at The Summit?

Looks like snow, and its been known to fall in Queeensland's Granite Belt region, but it is March. Just before 2pm yesterday (16 March) a severe hailstorm whipped through the northern part of the Granite Belt. Just north of Stanthorpe, the area known as the Summit, experienced some of the worst falls.

Although the white stuff looked like a carpet of snow on the ground,damage to local vegetable famrers were severe. Thankfully for the vineyards of Summit Estate (pictured) vintage on the white grapes is complete and the reds were spared, but staff had to wade through the winery for a little while!

Rock Solid claims James Halliday

Following his most recent visit to Stanthorpe and surrounds, Australian wine guru James Halliday reports in the Weekend Australian that the Granite Belt is a solid base for grape growers. And for any southerner who doesn't believe it gets cold enough to grow grapes in Queensland, it actually snowed the day Halliday toured the region last year!

A number of producers get a guernsey in Halliday's Weekend Australian report, with special mentions for Boireann Winery and Robert Channon Wines - the latter he describes as arguably Australia's foremost producer of verdelho.... For the full story click here.

Southern Downs Steam Train

If you missed their first outing on the Australia Day weekend - then the Brown Bomber is out again. Travelling from Warwick, the train will run through to Wallangarra on the QLD/NSW state border on Saturday 4 April and Sunday 26 April. Relive the romance of steam - for more contact 07 4661 3122.

Two top 100 spots for Granite Belt

This year Queensland turns 150 and to mark the occasion, the RACQ launched 150 Must-Do's in Queensland to provide the public with an opportunity to share their opinion on what is the best.

Voting ran from 18 November 2008 to 31 January 2009 and more than 150,000 votes were registred. The Granite Belt was delighted to make the top 100, not just once, but twice:

• At 89 is a Tour of the Granite Belt Wine Country - for more click
• At number 92 is Girraween National Park - for more click