An editor's note
Why Volary exists, and what to expect.
The Granite Belt gets snow in winter. It sits at around 800 metres, one of the highest wine regions in the country, and almost nobody outside Queensland knows it is there.
Most people are surprised to learn Queensland makes wine at all. The ones who do know it tend to file it under tourist trap or weekend backdrop, something you drink at a winery lunch and forget on the drive home. That was roughly my own position for years, even as someone who cared about wine, until a trip to Stanthorpe rearranged it.
The dismissals are lazy, and they are worth answering, because they are the reason nobody is looking. These wines are made in small volumes because they are made by people rather than factories, and that is a mark of quality, not a mark against it. The assumption that all the good Australian wine comes from down south is exactly the thing this publication exists to argue with.
There is a practical truth underneath the stereotypes as well. The interesting producers take real effort to find. They are rarely on the shelf at your local bottleshop or on a distributor's list, so without someone doing the legwork, the lazy view goes unchallenged and the good wine stays hidden. Closing that gap is what Volary is for: to find the Queensland wine worth seeking out, take it seriously, and tell you about it plainly.
The position
I am in Queensland's corner as a region. I am not in any single bottle's corner.
Those are not the same thing, and the difference is the whole point. Taking a wine seriously means being honest about it, not applauding everything that gets poured. Honest criticism is how the wines get better: it tells producers what drinkers actually want, and it means that when I tell you a wine is good, you have reason to believe me. Every wine is judged on the same terrain-led terms, and the ones that do not clear the bar are simply not written about. The job is to point you towards what is worth drinking, not to dwell on what is not.
The verdict is always mine, and the standard does not move. The rating system lays out exactly how the ratings work and what you can expect from me.
In this edition
Two Granite Belt reds to start, both bought at the cellar door. Ridgemill Estate's The Spaniard 2023 is a tempranillo in a light, fresh style. Tobin Wines' Elliot Merlot 2022 is a more structured red with the frame to hold a few years.
What is coming
I cover what I find where I travel, not region by region like a checklist, because that is not how anyone discovers a wine country. Expect producer profiles, tasting notes, travel guides and event write-ups, whatever is genuinely happening across the state.
On the way is a profile of Bunjurgen Estate in the Scenic Rim, a great producer in an unexpected place. It is exactly the kind of rare bird Volary is named for.
The schedule is loose by design. A new piece should be a small surprise worth a few minutes of your time, not another feed to keep up with. Pull one up when you are planning a trip or choosing a bottle for dinner.
Queensland has been quietly making wine worth talking about for years while almost nobody outside the state paid attention. I hope to point you in the right direction.
Sam