I recently spent a weekend on the Granite Belt in an amazing house overlooking Stanthorpe. For me, the story of Stanthorpe is that growing up it was just another country town. One where some of the kids of I went to boarding school with lived. To go there for a weekend was a silly idea. Now, it is a destination for Queenslanders who want to experience actual cold weather and to visit wineries within driving distance of Brisbane.
Many of my favourite things are on the Granite Belt. There is lots of granite. Big granite. We also struck the first flush of wildflowers and did some wonderful walking in Girraween National Park. There is some pretty good food. And of course, wine. I like a bit of wine.
Something I enjoyed about visiting the wineries (apart from the wine) was chatting to the owners and wine makers. They all have a story to tell. About their wine and their vines and their place and how they got there. There are purist vine growers like Tobin Wines and alchemists like Symphony Hill Wines.
Story and wine making is something The Story Wines in Melbourne take seriously. Yes, you can combine your love of short stories and wine in one hand. The winner of the Overland Short Story Wine Prize has their story printed on the wine bottle. Neat. The winner in 2014 was Leah Swann’s story That Inward Eye which you can read on a bottle of 2014 Grampians Shiraz. While you drink it. What more could you want?