Interesting Information about some of the places we visit!
At the present time, there are 12 wine establishments
and Tamborine Mountain Distillery open on and visited around the 9 km
plateau which is Tamborine Mountain, these wineries are :
ALBERT RIVER WINES
There stands two historical homesteads on this site of which the first, Tamborine House, was purchased by the past owners, David and Janette Bladin. The second is now the winery which in its original state was a single-story bungalow in the traditional style now known as the 'Queenslander'. In 1880, the home was bought by Sir Thomas McIlwrath, then serving his tern as Premier of Queensland. He named the house'Auchenflower' after the much loved Ayshire, Scotland farm of his great uncle. The word stems from the Gaelic 'Achaidhean Fluir', meaning 'fertile fields' or 'fields of flowers'. In 1998 it was re located and became the new home of Albert River Wines. This is but a snippet of history from this amazing location, more is revealed on our tour.
CANUNGRA VALLEY VINEYARD NOW KNOWN AS O'REILLY'S VINEYARD
Shane O'Reilly from the famous O'Reilly family of the Lamington National Park first had the concept of growing grapes in the Canungra Valley in 1996. The present cellar door homestead was relocated from Warwick and Sane purchased the estate in a deceased settlement. He has just over 7 acres under vine, consisting originally of 4500 Chambourcin and Smillon vines. Locals from the Canungra area planted these vines in November 1998. the first of their estate wines became available in august 2000. There are many more treasures to be unfolded at O'Reilly's vineyard including their family of platypus that feed and play in the still waters of Canungra Creek behind the homestead just to name one!
THE CEDAR CREEK ESTATE VINEYARD AND WINERY
This
beautiful estate and winery consists of 24 acres on Tamborine
Mountain
approximately 550 metres above sea level. Cedar Creek flows through
the
property, which opens out to Wild Duck Lake, home to many birds and
different
duck species. The winery building consists of a restaurant and
reception
facilities, together with a tasting room and an underground cellar !
Cedar Creek is not only modern but built to a standard of high
excellence,
it is not only a treat to taste of the wines they have to offer but
enjoy
the quiet ambiance of the surroundings ! Not to mention the fine
cuisine
!
HERITAGE WINERY
Another
winery with a unique history, the building was formerly the Infant
Saviour Catholic Church at Burleigh Heads, saved from demolition and
transported up the Mountain where it has been transformed to its
present glory. Heritage Wines are produced at Stanthorpe,
from grapes grown on the granite belt Queensland. Award winning wines
can be enjoyed with breathtaking views of the Gold Coast and
Hinterland. It is indeed a great asset to the Tamborine Mountain area
to have this small family owned and
operated boutique Winery in our
midst !
AUSSIE VINEYARDS
Aussie
Vineyards is Queensland's newest goldmine of exceptional wines
and
home of our stylish AU label. The Au brand has been created from the
inspiration
of Authentic Australian and is
symbolic of
one of nature's most precious elements - gold. We believe that our
label encapsulates Australia's winning spirit, our lands
prosperity, & trust shared between people. Each bottle is
enriched with years
of wine making experience, fine fruits, teamwork and passion. Our
aim is to bring
the contents of each bottle alive by cultivating the essence of each
ingredient
from vineyard to cellar door.
WITCHES
FALLS WINERY
Witches
Falls Winery have their
own
resident wine maker. He is also the owner with his wife Kim Heslop
who together form a formidable team in the total wine making experience.
At this site guests are given a tour of the
equipment area and barrel room with an explanation of the process of
the
grape from the vine to the bottle process and tasting.
MT NATHAN WINERY
Mount
Nathan Winery is situated amongst the rich nectar of a
Paulownia
plantation on the lush Clagiraba Creek. Honey is extracted and
packaged
on site as well as fermented/fortified on site to produce unique
products
sold to the public.
TAMBORINE
MOUNTAIN
DISTILLERY
Hidden
away in the Gold Coast Hinterland, is the Tamborine Mountain
Distillery. This is South East Queensland's smallest Pot Still
Distillery, but of world renown. With the Combination of
rich red volcanic soils and fresh Spring Water, the abundant fruit of
the Mountain is fermented and distilled.
SARABAH ESTATE WINES
Sarabah is a place to go and relax, in air conditioned comfort and
enjoy the beautiful views, the great atmosphere and the delicious wines.Take some time out of your day to visit our beautiful valley nestled at the foot of the famous Lamington National Park, you won't be disappointed.
We
also visit the wineries and vineyards of the Scenic Rim and they are:
Warrego
Wines is a modern winery near the historic township
of
Marburg, part of one of Queensland's newest wine regions - The Scenic
Rim.
The winery provides spectacular views of the beautiful mountains
nearby
and a selection of some of Queensland's finest wines.
Warrego Wines
offers visitors the chance to taste and buy award-winning
wines in our cellar door, to take a guided tour of our modern
winemaking facility, and to dine in pleasant surroundings with
friends
and family. While you are here, why not try your hand at a game of
boules (bocci) or croquet.
Ironbark Ridge Vineyard is
situated at
Purga, south west of Ipswich, in
the south eastern corner of Queensland and is approximately 40
minutes
drive from Brisbane. Ironbark Ridge is surrounded by picturesque
mountain views.
The Ipswich District has a rich history in grape-growing and wine
making during the 19th and 20th centuries. The district’s first wines
made by Robert Le Grand are well recorded as being highly acclaimed
in
Europe in the 1890’s. Then the Dick family received many awards from
France in the early 1900’s.
Ironbark Ridge
was established in 1984, no more than a kilometre from
the original Dick Brother’s cellars and vineyard. It is the oldest
established vineyard in this region. Ironbark Ridge currently has 6
acres under vine with plantings of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Grenache
and
also smaller parcels of Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier. In addition
there are also new plantings of Dolcetto, Verdelho and Nebioli. All
the
vines here at Ironbark Ridge were hand planted and are also hand
picked.
Paradine wines
is nestled at the top of the hill at Harrisville village, overlooking
the working vines and the beautiful surrounds of the Scenic Rim. Taste
exquisite wines at the "Old Barncellar" door that has been lovingly
restored with 360 degree viees of breathtaking views. Relax on the
wonderful veranda or amongst the vines and enjoy country style
hospitality, the views, the great wines and the delightful platters.
All Paradine grapes are hand picked for quality and new varities are
being developed. Some varieties include Cabernet, Mourvedre and Durif.
Discover
the delights of the country while visiting
Normanby
Wines.
Experience quiet relaxation
that is so near, yet, so far from the madding
crowd. Nestled at a comfortable distance between
the Cunningham Highway and Boonah Rd, lies the
sleepy little village of Harrisville (Fat cow
in the ABC mini series). Relax, view the scenery
from our shady Courtyards while tasting the
wines that are Unique to our soil and climate
– and you’ll be Very pleasantly
surprised. BBQ,s available. Time permitting
look around the vineyard where all the grapes
are carefully hand picked for premium quality.
Normanby Wines has a large range of wines to
taste these include:
Verdelho,
Viognier, Durif, Shiraz, Chambourcin, Grenache, Merlot, Red &
White
Port, and we are one of the very few Queensland
vineyards to grow Durif.
Bunjurgen
Estate Vineyard
We are located 10 kilometres south of Boonah on a rise in the Teviot
Valley on the way to Mount Alford, in beautiful South East
Queensland,
Australia.
We are an easy one hour drive from Brisbane, or a one and a half hour
drive from the Gold Coast.
Easy drinking Shiraz and boutique Chambourcin wines are available
with picturesque views of the Scenic Rim mountains.
Car parking and a Barrel Room are easily accessable.
In 2000 the idea arose of establishing a vineyard in the Boonah area
following a six weeks long tour of vineyards in the Barossa Valley,
McLaren Vale, Clare, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra, Yarra Valley,
Canberra - Yass, Hunter Valley, Hastings River, New England plateau,
Granite Belt and the Scenic Rim of Southeast Queensland. Over 70
vineyards were visited and keen observations made of viticulture,
winemaking and sales activities.
An analysis of the necessary parameters for successful winegrowing
was made with the assistance of the University of New England and
following successful soil tests the initial vines were planted at
Bellbrook in August 2003. These vines were grafted Chambourcin
cuttings
procured from the Mildura region. Grafted Shiraz cuttings were
planted
in 2004 and additional Chambourcin vines were planted in 2005.
A total of 2200 vines comprise Bunjurgen Estate.