Queensland gets its first ever wine trail

Queensland is getting its very own wine trail for travellers who want to swirl, sniff and sip through the Sunshine State.

The ‘Vine and Shine Trail’ was created by the Queensland Wine Industry Association (QWIA) in partnership with Wine Australia and Tourism and Events Queensland to be the centrepiece of a broader ‘Venture In’ concept.

The concept features an interactive website and an immersive map experience that guides visitors through six regions, from the Granite Belt in the south to Bundaberg in the north.

The self-guided tourism trail connects more than 70 wineries and cellar doors across Queensland, inviting visitors to journey inland from the Queensland coast to discover emerging wine varietals found nowhere else in Australia.

QWIA president and 2017 Australian winemaker of the year, Mike Hayes, said the Vine and Shine Trail has been many years in the making and finally offers hardworking viticulturalists a platform to showcase their emerging varietals and ‘vines of the future’.

“We’re proud that, after a 160-year-long journey, Queensland wine has truly come of age and is finally being taken seriously on both a national and international level,” Hayes said.

“This campaign is an excellent way to encourage visitors to our state and to explore more of what we have to offer.

“We look forward to welcoming them to our regions; our wines have been a best-kept secret for too long. It’s time for everyone to get a taste of excellence, right here in Queensland.”

The campaign was funded by the Australian Government’s Export and Regional Wine Support Package – created to grow Australia’s wine exports and showcase the nation’s wine tourism offering in key markets – with additional support from the Queensland government, and could not have come at a better time following China’s recent decision to impose high tariffs on Australian wines.

The Australian wine industry saw $2.998 billion in total exports for the year ended September 2020, with $1.26 billion attributed to China alone.

Now, Australian wine producers are turning their focus to the UK and US, which respectively receive 14 and 15 per cent of national wine exports.

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Australian wine industry Bundaberg Export and Regional Wine Support Package Granite Belt Mike Hayes queensland Queensland Wine Industry Association QWIA Sunshine State Tourism and Events Queensland Venture In Vine and Shine Trail Wine Australia wine trail