Witches Falls Winery, Mt. Tamborine, Gold Coast

Witches Falls is the only working winery on Mt. Tamborine and has been named by a number of wine critics as the best on the mountaintop. Besides the obvious reason to visit (Aussie wine), the scenery is juicy green and stunning. Beautiful gardens border the vineyards and an archway of vines guide your entrance to the tasting bar. Most grapes are sourced from Stanthorpe a few hours south, while a small percentage are also grown onsite. The winery showcases a number of wines scoring over 90 points and has been given 4 1/2 stars (out of a possible 5) by Australian wine critic, James Halliday. Out of the 12 or more wines I sampled I would have happily taken home any number of bottles (luggage allowing). Having to choose though, my pick of the whites was the 2011 Coinoculated Verdelho fermented with two strains of yeast producing a light easy drinking wine perfect for an afternoon barbie or happily quaffed unaccompanied. Of the reds I relished the 2008 Granite Belt Prophecy Syrah, scoring 94 points with a bright peppery finish. And… no wine tasting would be complete without some dessert and fortified wines thrown in the mix. My all time favourite dessert wine for years has been the Noble One Botrytis Semillon. Witches Falls, however has added another to my list – their 2008 Granite Belt Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Botrytis – with its syrupy stone fruit nose, viscous palate and apricot, honey and marmalade undertones – we have a new winner. Lastly the Granite Belt Classic Tawny was fitting for the season completely filling the mouth with a lush Christmas cake sweetness and a long smooth finish. They say it gets better with age, but with my enthusiasm for wine I guess that is something I will never know 😉