This high-altitude wine region in Queensland is rewriting Australia's grape story

It's a cool, misty morning, and I'm sipping on a fruity Garganega wine at Serrena Que Estate. Perched more than 1000 metres above sea level on Queensland's Granite Belt, a fertile food and wine region located three hours' drive south-west of Brisbane, Serrena Que Estate is the region's highest - and one of its newest - cellar doors.

In 2016, Cindy Longman and Simon Smith purchased 16 hectares of land at Eukey and set to work planting vines and building infrastructure. The result is a sprawling vineyard and cellar door showcasing Strange Birds - unusual wine varieties which represent less than one per cent of Australia's vines.

These young but mighty vines are making a name for themselves. Serrena Que Estate's 2023 Garganega, for instance, currently occupies a coveted spot on the banquet menu of Brisbane's fine-dining Aloria restaurant.

Despite reports of wineries in southern states ripping out vines due to changing customer demand, the Granite Belt is still forging ahead, with more cellar doors due to open, says Chris Nolan, president of the Granite Belt Wine & Tourism Association. He attributes some of this to the region's adoption of Strange Birds.

"Our winemakers are way ahead of the curve on that," he says.

There are also ample opportunities for visitors to get involved - dining amid the vines, taking classes, or even stomping grapes during the biennial Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival.

Beyond the more than 50 vineyards and cellar doors, there are stunning natural parks and fresh local produce to explore.

Yet the Granite Belt remained a well-kept secret until the pandemic put it on the map. With borders closed and planes grounded, Queenslanders took to the roads in search of regional getaways. Given its proximity to Brisbane, the Granite Belt was smashed.

"It was like trying to take a drink from a firehouse," recalls Nolan, who owns and runs Granite Gardens, four self-contained cottages at Thorndale.

Many people visited the Granite Belt for the first time in 2020. Five years later, they're still making the pilgrimage.

Each time I return, I make a point of connecting with old favourites, like Stanthorpe Cheese with its tasting room and ploughman's platter, and Jamworks with its all-day meals, showcasing some of its 76 different jams, relishes, chutneys, sauces, pickles and pastes.

I'm also partial to a hike through the stark, surreal beauty of Girraween National Park, where cratered rocky surfaces and 200-million-year-old granite boulders bring to mind a moonscape. The pandemic-led demand encouraged new entrants, and prompted existing operators to scale up their offerings, meaning that there are always new things to explore.

The most difficult task is deciding where to start.

Dear Vincent: The crispy patatas bravas (Spanish fried potatoes) arrive just in time to soak up the shiraz viognier our Dear Vincent host, Adam Penberthy, has poured. Penberthy bought the long-established St Judes Vineyard in 2021 and seeks to keep winemaking (and tasting) free of pretension. dearvincent.com.au

Rokkwell Estate: Rokkwell Estate's cellar door opened in April this year, giving guests a taste of their well-established mainstream and Strange Bird varieties. About two hectares of vines include nebbiolo, arneis, nero d'avola and teroldego. Two studio cabins offer overnight stays for guests. rokkwell.com.au

View Wine: View Wine by Sancerre Estate opened its cellar door in the Big Red Shed last year and has introduced "grape to glass" experiences. Join a food and wine pairing class or become a winemaker for a day through picking, stomping and pressing grapes. viewwine.au

Bath Haus at Stanthorpe Holiday Park: Take a long hot soak in baths crafted from shiraz-scented red wine barrels. Two barrel baths in a timber hut overlook the peaceful, meandering Severn River, and can be enjoyed with a grazing platter and bottle of local vino. Shack up afterwards in one of the ranch cabins or glamping chalets. stanthorpeholidaypark.com.au

Cooked from Scratch Cooking School: When you own an estimated 10,000 cookbooks, the only thing to do is open a cooking school. At Sabo's on Severn guesthouse, you can sign up for a cooking class with owner Lizzie Sabo. Or join the supper and cookbook club which dives into a different cuisine each month. sabosonsevern.com.au/cooking-school

Gin House: This stylish new tiny-home-style stay - crafted from two shipping containers - opened earlier this year. The most striking feature at Gin House is its outdoor bath overlooking the vineyard. It's located beside The Ginyard at Eukey, where you can sip gin and eat wood-fired pizza alongside a herd of grazing alpacas. ginyard.com.au/ginhouse

Barrel View Luxury Cabins: Three oversized wine barrels with views towards Girraween National Park opened in late 2022. Although the concept sounds kitsch, this trio offers sleek, stylish stays. Each barrel is named after one of the region's Strange Birds. My pick is the Saperavi with its deep, freestanding outdoor bath. barrelview.com.au

Quaffers on Storm King Dam: Although Quaffers opened in 2019, its seven luxury self-contained cabins set on 12 hectares of native bushland still feel new. Our cabin featured a modern kitchen stocked with breakfast provisions, a cloud-soft king-sized bed and a spacious bathroom. The wood fire is especially welcome during winter. quaffer.com.au

The writer was a guest of Granite Belt Wine and Tourism Association