Boutique wineries perched above the coast in the Blackall Range hinterland — with views that stretch from the volcanic Glass House Mountains to the Pacific horizon. A guided wine journey through one of Queensland's most beautiful and underrated wine regions.
View Tour Options See the DayMost Queensland wine tourism points visitors toward the Granite Belt or Hunter Valley. The Sunshine Coast hinterland wine region is known almost exclusively to locals — and for the boutique producers who've established themselves in the Blackall Range, that obscurity has been a blessing. The altitude, the volcanic soil, the maritime influence of the nearby Pacific, and the relative cool of the range at 450 metres above sea level combine to produce wines of genuine character that you won't find on a supermarket shelf.
Our guided wine tours visit 3–4 hand-selected boutique producers across the Blackall Range — wineries that welcome guided groups with genuine hospitality, guided tastings with the winemakers or their staff, and the kind of conversation about viticulture and food that only happens when a group is small enough to have it. Combined with a long lunch overlooking the range and the drive through Montville village, this is the Sunshine Coast experience that locals take their most discerning visitors to enjoy.
The selection varies by season and producer schedule — we always visit the wineries currently producing their best work rather than the same route regardless of what's actually excellent. These are the producers regularly featured on our tours.
A heritage property at the northern end of the Blackall Range with a working winery, restaurant, and gallery. The estate produces small-batch Shiraz, Semillon, and Chardonnay under conditions that surprise visitors who assume tropical Queensland can't produce serious wine.
A small family-owned vineyard in the Montville area producing estate-grown wines including a robust Tempranillo and a very good Verdelho. The cellar door is intimate and the tasting experience is guided by the people who grew the grapes — which makes an enormous difference to the conversation.
Several smaller producers in the Image Flat and Kenilworth corridor have cellar doors open by appointment. These are the region's most authentic wine experiences — often just the winemaker and a handful of guests in a converted farm shed, talking about the vintage over glasses that haven't been bottled yet.
Several Blackall Range restaurants maintain their own wine programs sourced from hinterland and regional producers. These stops combine wine tasting with exceptional food in properties with the range's finest views — where the Glass House Mountains are visible on the inland horizon and the ocean glints to the east.
The Blackall Range hinterland produces more than wine — our gourmet tours include stops at Maleny Dairies for exceptional artisan cheese and selected produce providores whose local charcuterie and condiments make the wine tasting experience genuinely food-focused rather than just about the glass.
For private tours and selected departures, we extend into the Scenic Rim's Canungra Valley where Witches Falls and Canungra Valley Vineyards produce wines of national recognition in a setting even more dramatic than the Blackall Range. Available as an extension on private tours.
Queensland wine tourism is dominated by the Granite Belt — a cool-climate region on the NSW border at 800–1,000m elevation. The Blackall Range and Scenic Rim operate at lower altitude but share several of the same variables: volcanic basalt soils, a significant diurnal temperature range (warm days, cool nights), and a latitude that challenges conventional Australian viticultural wisdom.
The result is wines with more structural tension than their Queensland latitude suggests — decent acidity, concentrated fruit, and the kind of varietal character that gets lost in warmer, lower-altitude Queensland growing conditions. The producers we visit have spent years understanding their specific terroir, and the conversation at each cellar door reflects that investment.
The hinterland's most successful red varieties — producing concentrated, spice-driven wines with genuine tannin structure.
The signature Queensland whites — tropical fruit with acid backbone, best young and fresh. Excellent with the region's seafood.
Produced at range altitude with more restraint than coastal Queensland. The best examples rival Southern Australian Chardonnay in structure.
Several producers make exceptional sparkling wines using traditional method. The fortified Verdelho from one range producer is nationally recognised.
The Gourmet Wine Tour runs on selected Fridays and Saturdays. The Classic tour runs Thursday through Sunday. Both share the same hinterland route; the Gourmet includes a curated winery lunch and additional producer stops.
We collect guests from Brisbane CBD hotels or Sunshine Coast accommodation (Noosa, Mooloolaba, or Caloundra). Your guide introduces the hinterland wine region and the day's producers during the 60–90 minute drive up into the Blackall Range. Coffee and water are provided in the vehicle.
The first tasting of the day focuses on the region's whites and sparkling wines — lighter styles that work well before lunch. At Flaxton Gardens or Flame Hill (depending on the week's schedule), the winemaker or cellar door host walks the group through the estate's approach, the vintage conditions, and what makes the Blackall Range altitude distinctive.
A second cellar door focused on the region's reds — typically Shiraz, Tempranillo, or a house blend. The views from this property's deck across the Obi Obi Valley or toward the Glass House Mountains make this the most photographed stop of the day. Your guide provides the viticulture context that makes the tasting more than just wine drinking.
Gourmet Tour: A two-course lunch at a range restaurant that sources its menu from hinterland producers — cheese from Maleny Dairies, herbs from the garden, proteins from Scenic Rim farms. Your guide curates wine pairings from the region's producers for each course. Included in the Gourmet tour price.
Classic Tour: 60 minutes of free time at a Montville village café or restaurant of your choice. Your guide makes specific recommendations based on the group's preferences.
The afternoon tasting introduces the region's more structured and aged styles — fortified Verdelho, aged Shiraz, and selected late-harvest wines. This stop is often the most revelatory for guests who arrived expecting light Queensland wine and found something with genuine depth and complexity.
Free time in Montville village — galleries, chocolate and fudge makers, the heritage main street, and lookout points across the Glass House Mountains. Your guide is available for recommendations. This is the day's palate cleanser — and Montville's cafés are excellent for an afternoon coffee before the return drive.
The drive from the Blackall Range escarpment down to the coast in the late afternoon delivers one of the Sunshine Coast's finest views — the entire coastal plain, the ocean, and on clear days the Brisbane skyline 100km south. Return to your accommodation between 5:30–6:30pm depending on pickup location.
All options include hotel pickup, guided cellar door tastings at 3–4 wineries, and transport throughout. The Gourmet tour adds a matched winery lunch; the Private tour gives you exclusive access and a fully bespoke day.
| Inclusion | Classic $189 | Gourmet $289 | Private $599+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel pickup (Brisbane or SC) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guided cellar door tastings | 3 wineries | 4 wineries | 4–5 wineries |
| Winery lunch with pairings | Own cost | ✓ Included | ✓ Premium |
| Artisan cheese & produce stop | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Winemaker meet & greet | — | At 1 estate | All estates |
| Maximum group size | 14 guests | 10 guests | Private only |
| Canungra Valley extension | — | — | Available |
| Custom itinerary | Set route | Set route | Fully bespoke |
| Tasting notes booklet | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free 48hr cancellation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Optional additions arrangeable when booking. All add-ons must be requested at least 72 hours in advance.
A dedicated 45-minute session at Maleny Dairies with an artisan cheesemonger guiding the pairing of hinterland cheeses with estate wines. Limited to 8 guests. Genuinely one of the most memorable food experiences in Southeast Queensland.
Depart Brisbane by helicopter and arrive at the Blackall Range's premiere estate for your first tasting — the approach over the range and coast is extraordinary. Join the ground tour group for the remaining wineries. Available on Private tours; enquire for scheduling.
For anniversaries, birthdays, and special occasions — chilled local sparkling wine and artisan chocolates in the vehicle on pickup, personalised tasting notes, and a small gift of hinterland wine at tour end. Let us know the occasion when booking.
Buy wine at the cellar doors and leave the carrying to us. We store all purchases in the vehicle's temperature-controlled compartment and deliver them directly to your accommodation on return. Particularly useful for visitors flying home — we can arrange freight on request.
The tour runs year-round but each season offers a distinctly different experience of the Blackall Range and its wine producers.
Lush, green, and dramatic — the range is at its most tropical. Afternoon storms can be spectacular. White wines at their freshest from the recent vintage. Busy season — book ahead. Harvest begins in January–February.
Harvest season through March–April. The chance to visit wineries during or immediately after harvest — the most exciting time to taste new vintages and talk to winemakers about the season just past. Perfect temperatures on the range. Our most popular season for wine tours.
The range is crisp, clear, and extraordinarily photogenic — morning mist in the valleys, brilliant afternoon light, and the full Glass House Mountains horizon visible from the escarpment. Reds are at their most impressive in winter. Quieter than summer; best cellar door experiences.
Wildflowers on the range heath and warming temperatures. New vintage whites are being released. The range views expand as the winter haze clears. An excellent time for the white wine focused tasting — Verdelho and Semillon are at their most vibrant from August onwards.
"We've done wine tours in Burgundy, Marlborough, and Margaret River. This was different from all of them — not because the wines are better, but because the intimacy of the cellar doors and the conversation with the winemakers was unlike anything we've had in a more established region. The Gourmet lunch pairing was exceptional. We went home with six bottles and a standing plan to return for harvest."
"I live on the Sunshine Coast and had no idea this wine region existed at this level. Our guide knew every winemaker by name, which meant we got an entirely different experience than walking in off the street. The Tempranillo at Flame Hill was one of the best Australian reds I've tried — and I consider myself to know Australian red wine. Truly outstanding tour."
"Booked the Private tour for our 20th anniversary. The helicopter arrival at the first winery was extraordinary — my wife was speechless. The team had arranged sparkling wine in the vehicle, personalised tasting notes, and a gift of wine waiting at our accommodation when we returned. Every detail was right. We've already recommended this to six couples."
Most visitors see this region from the beach. The ones who come up into the hinterland — to the wineries, the cheese producers, and the ridge-top restaurants — discover something they didn't know Australia had. Book your place now.
📞 Call (07) 3000 0000 ✉️ Email to BookClassic from $189 · Gourmet from $289 · Private from $599. Hotel pickup from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Small groups, expert guides, free 48-hour cancellation.
📞 Call (07) 3000 0000 ✉️ Email to Book