On Friday 24 February, The Lab Restaurant, Treasury Brisbane, hosted the 38th Queensland Wine Award Winners Public Tasting Event. And thanks to this column, I secured a press pass.
The Awards is a celebration of our local wine industry. It recognises excellence in wine making and the contributions many have made to continually, progress the Queensland wine industry.
My introduction to The Granite Belt wine region, was via an invitation from a work colleague, Penelope Smith-Emerson in 1990.
Her Dad, Peter Smith had used his expertise as a retired industrial chemist to establish a vineyard.
I witnessed the setting up of Smith’s Vineyard. Peter’s wife Anne relocated from Brisbane to finalise their accommodation and premium B&B facilities for weekenders.
At the time Peter was selling most of his mature grapes to Tony Comino the winemaker for Kominos Wines. It intrigued me that their surname began with a C but their wine with a K.
I can remember to this day how good the Kominos Chardonnay was whilst sitting on the slope overlooking the vineyard. Pondering if at least one grape from this vineyard, had returned home via the winemaking skills of Tony Comino.
The vineyard and accommodation were sold to Brad and Stacy Allan and they renamed it: The Sancerre Estate. Just brilliant to see their 2021 Gros Manseng exhibited.
We have all had those magical moments of escape and I had many to The Granite Belt with Penelope, her daughter Misty, Anne and Peter.
I watched Misty assist her Gramps in the vineyard, with Anne, welcoming visitors at reception, always caring for her mum, Penelope. My mum, and visiting Irish relations, had a hundred thousand welcomes.
It was my sister, Angie who after taking a deep breath called me to ask if I had watched the evening news. Due to working in hospitality, 12 hour continuous days in December are the norm not the exception.
I could feel the tremor in her voice; as she delivered the news that Misty Kath, her husband and their eldest daughter had tragically deceased due to a helicopter crash in Florida. News channels around the world reported it. RIP Misty Moo.
All the happy days at Smiths vineyard and afterthoughts about Misty came flooding back to me as I entered the Queensland Wines Event. Mixed emotions flowing through my body.
Like an angel of assistance, Sara Newberry the Queensland territory manager for Shottesbrooke Vineyard welcomed me upon arrival. And then kindly introduced me to Lana Louise Hill and Laura Gray the daughter of Andrew Corrigan MW. Podcast host of the excellent: Cellar Door Podcast, Thomas Massey joined our group, alongside his friend from school days, a fellow wine industry personality, Mason Canning.
We had this pre–Andrew Corrigan Masterclass photo taken. As someone who really enjoys hosting wine tastings/events I learnt a lot from Andrew.
Plus being seated next to Laura, provided me with someone, with a vast knowledge of wine, learnt via osmosis from her dad and our shared belief in the WSET Systematic Approach to Wine Tasting.
My personal find of the event was Nuova Scuola Wines from The South Burnett – The name means ‘new school’ in Italian. Owner’s husband and wife team, Stefano Radici and Sarah Boyce are both winemakers, who ‘think outside the box’.
I was lucky enough to interview Sarah and asked her if being nominated and selected to be part of the Queensland Wine Awards, assisted their business?
“Its’s obviously a great boost to receive the results we achieved. We’ve been lucky enough to secure recognition since we started the Nuova Scuola label in 2017,“ replied Sarah.
“It always helps to cement our place in the industry, despite being so new,“ added Sarah.
To them, all of our Queensland wineries, the judges, the organisers, The Treasury, thank you – Go Queenslander!
