Tasting highlights from one of Australia's most overlooked yet compelling wine regions

The sunshine state isn’t exactly synonymous with winegrowing. But the Granite Belt, three hours’ southwest of Brisbane by car, on the border of New South Wales, “is an area that defies most of the visuals of tropical-fruit growing Queensland,” as regional taster Mike Bennie says, “eschewing the palm tree paradise and beach-laced coastlines for... an alpine country visage”.

This high-altitude region (vineyards typically lie between 800 and over 1000m above sea level), awash with granite boulders and native scrubland, has a history of winegrowing dating back to the 19th century. Although its industry was slow to take off, the number of producers has climbed steadily since the 1970s, with around 50 wineries calling the Granite Belt home today. 

Balancing Heart owner Greg Kentish and winemaker Mike Hayes.

A diverse array of plantings has come along with that growth. Alongside classic varieties such as shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay and viognier are verdelho, nero d’Avola, fiano, albariño, tempranillo, sangiovese, barbera, graciano, tannat, nebbiolo, petit verdot, saperavi and more. All up, the region’s winemakers have around 60 different varieties at their disposal, from which they produce an array of interesting, delicious and boundary-pushing wines.

Although the Granite Belt has flown under the radar in the past, recent success at the Halliday Awards – famed local label Balancing Heart was crowned the 2027 Dark Horse Winery, and Ballandean Estate took home the Wildcard Red of the Year award for its 2023 Saperavi – has shone a well-overdue spotlight on this beautiful and compelling region.

Robyn Puglisi-Henderson and Leanne Puglisi-Gangemi from Ballandean Estate at the 2027 Halliday Awards.

And, as Mike Bennie reported when he was recently in the Granite Belt, the region shows no sign of slowing. Explore a selection of Mike’s tasting highlights below.

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