The 40 best wines from Queensland's Granite Belt

Queensland's Granite Belt wine region is booming right now. Over the past few decades, it has not only seen a huge influx of new wineries, but the quality of wines produced here has also soared. So, if you're one of those foolish few wine lovers who still hasn't come to know the Granite Belt's top wines and producers, we're here to give you a quick guide.

We have put together the top-rated wines coming out of the region right now, as scored by Halliday taster Mike Bennie. One thing you'll notice at first glance, is that our list of the Granite Belt's best wines mostly consists of lesser-known grape varieties. This is a defining feature of the region, which prides itself on championing emerging grape varieties (at least by Australian standards).

But the varieties alone don't make this a standout wine region. The top producers have a strong terroir-driven approach to the whole process of winemaking – leveraging the unique climate and soil composition of the region to make unique expressions of these varieties. The Granite Belt is a high-altitude wine region (with some wineries sitting up to 1000 metres above sea level), boasting distinct cooling breezes. This is an ideal mitigating factor in balanced ripening of fruit compared to the expected warmer days.

Additionally, soils are, as the name suggests, distinctly granitic. This is known to be exceptional for grape growing, lending mineral-laced acidity to many of the wines produced here.

But with all that being said, the best way to get to know these wines is to drink them. So, read on to find the Granite Belt's best wines, buying and sampling a few for yourself. You really won't regret it.  

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Top image: Balancing Heart