Monday, February 14, 2011

Our southern cousin shapes up for vintage

Steve Messiter is far from the first chemical engineer to turn his hand to viticulture or winemaking, but for Steve, this will be his first vintage on the Granite Belt.

New owners of Bald Mountain Vineyards, Steve and wife Lisa are gearing up to pick their chardonnay grapes at the southern most edge of the Granite Belt wine country. Regular testing indicates the fruit will reach its optimum sugar level in another week to ten days, before the process of lovingly handpicking the grapes begins. 

The Brisbane pair bought 35 year old Bald Mountain Vineyards last year from founders Denis and Jackie Parsons.  The property is a mere five minutes from the NSW border and they've already begun introducing some smart new branding to the range.  So if you in the region taking advantage of Granite Belt's Fab Feb 30% OFF campaign, drive south from Stanthorpe and look out for the sign on the left just before you reach the border town of Wallangarra.