Ultimate Guide to the Queensland Wine Region

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Australia's history is unique. Like North America, and many of today's established countries, it was settled by Europeans. But unlike the America's, Australia was settled for the purpose of imprisoning law breaking citizens. And at the same time, there were people living on Australia that had been there long before European settlers came along.

Before European settlement, the Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginals lived for thousands of years in Queensland, believed to be present even 30,000 years ago [source: Queensland]. The Aborigines were around to see and adapt to the changing face of Queensland. Now arid, with dry grasslands, the area was once cool and covered with vegetation.

The dry Australia we're accustomed to today is what early European settlers would see when they first saw the area in 1660. They settled the area as a penal colony in a region Britain deemed New South Wales. It wasn't until 1839, when the penal colony closed, that the land was available for sale and public settlement.

No longer a forced home for convicts, Brisbane grew in importance both socially and economically. It had a great shore location, making it a popular port. This easy access to the water also meant water travel to Sydney or Europe was possible. Because of its successful growth and distance from the government of New South Wales, the region began to consider independence. In 1859, Queen Victoria agreed and approved the separation. With this, the colony of Queensland was established and the population began to flourish [source: Queensland]. This is when grape growth and wine production began.

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Agriculture isn't at the forefront of the Australian spotlight, at least in the minds of those who aren't involved. This seems true of viticulture in particular, which requires quality grape growth. You might think grape cultivation would be impossible in the Queensland climate. After all, grapes will dry out in extreme heat, and no doubt, there are areas of Australia that reach sweltering temperatures.

While the climate of Australia does present challenges in the agriculture department, it hasn't stopped Queensland. In this large region, the many areas actually have very different climates.

The Granite Belt is the most talked about production area of the Queensland wine region. Being one of the most plentiful areas in Queensland, it makes sense that it has the best climate for grape growing. At an altitude of .5 to .6 miles (800 to 1,000 meters), this area strays from your preconceived ideas of desert like Australia. It actually has cold, snowy winters [source: Hidden Creek]. Likewise, the Darling Downs and South Burnett also have cold seasons. These areas thrive and produce the most traditional wines.

Queensland's tropical northern regions have found success by experimenting. They may not be capable of growing all grapes, especially delicate ones, but they have other fruit that harvests well year after year. In recent years, the area has produced many alternate wines using these fruits instead of grapes [source: Wine].

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In the world of wine, Queensland is still somewhat of a rooky in comparison to the producers in areas where viticulture spans centuries. This reflects in the final products Queensland presents. They are still experimenting and testing their options by working with alternative ingredients and foreign grapes.

Some of the most popular or practiced varieties of the Queensland wine region include:

[sources: Wine, Wine Diva, Mietta's]

As mentioned previously, Australia has gotten creative and experimental with their wine production in an effort to allow the tropical northern region a piece of the market. While these areas don't have plentiful grape output, they have successful growth of other fruit crops like pineapple, mango and passion fruit. In recent years, the area has used these fruits as a substitute to produce new varieties of wine [source: Wine].

The Shiraz is probably the regions most popular selection. That variety, along with dessert wines, has done well in Queensland. Because of that development, experimenting with the sweet tropical fruits of the north could prove fruitful for the region -- in more ways than one.

Be sure to check out the links on the next page for additional wine-related information.