Ridgemill Estate's Tempranillo

by Strange Bird
(Granite Belt Queensland)

It's first past the post for Ridgemill Estate's Tempranillo in the Queensland wine capital's 2009 vintage. Tempranillo is one of the varieties on the Strange Bird Granite Belt alternative wine trail.

Vintage has been underway for some weeks on the Granite Belt but until yesterday, they were all white grapes. Yesterday, a little more than a tonne of Tempranillo, the red Spanish grape was picked at Ridgemill Estate just south of Stanthorpe, making these the first red wine grapes harvested for the 2009 Vintage in Queensland's Granite Belt.

This will be the fifth vintage at Ridgemill Estate for these vines, wines from which have gone on to win 2 silvers and 5 bronze medals and 3 stars in Winestate magazine.

Note by Darby

Strange Bird is the organisation in the Granite Belt of Queensland promoting alternative varietal wines.

After all the bad news in South Eastern Australia we may need some good wine from our friends up north.