WEDNESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY 2019 Students of the Granite Belt Wine School program, presented in Tokyo, Japan by Wine Australia A+ Specialist Educator and Sirromet Brand Ambassador Minoru Numata, are welcomed by Granite Belt wineries this week. They are partaking in a special Granite Belt wine tour experience, seeing for themselves the unique qualities, history and diversity of the region.
The Granite Belt Wine School has been an initiative driven by Sirromet Winery Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman and Mr Numata San in collaboration with fellow Granite Belt wineries Jester Hill, Ballandean Estate, Hidden Creek and Ridgemill Estate. The program is designed to educate Japanese Sommeliers on the unique terroir, climate and elevation of the region, showcasing the diversity of premium wines each winery produce. Initial interest in the program has been strong with over 140 Japanese Sommeliers taking part in the program since it began in 2017. “It’s so exciting to be able to physically show the students what they have learnt, touch the granite soils and boulders, taste the grapes straight off the vines and share the insights on how our wines are made and what makes our beautiful region so unique” Said Sirromet Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman
Sirromet Winery, Mr Numata San and Japan’s largest travel agency JTB formed a partnership in 2018 to design an experience where students from the Granite Belt Wine School have the opportunity to visit the Granite Belt region and gain a hands-on experience as harvest takes place across each of the wineries, solidifying the knowledge gained through the program in Japan. The 5-day immersive experience includes winemaking activities such as crushing, pressing, winemaking demonstrations, 4wd vineyard tours and analysis of current vintage data and yields, as well as trial viticultural techniques. A key highlight for the students is the opportunity to learn about the Granite Belts Strange Bird varieties, from Australian Winemaker of the Year 2017, Mike Hayes, who joined Sirromet as Director of Vineyard and Winery Operations in 2018.
The tour concludes at Sirromet Winery’s Mount Cotton headquarters, with Sirromet Chief Winemaker Adam Chapman providing a winemaker’s tour of the state of the art facilities, tastings from tanks and barrels, in-depth premium wine tasting, and an indulgent food and wine matching experience in Restaurant Lurleen’s. The students will spend their final night at Sirromet’s newly opened ‘glamping’ accommodation Sanctuary by Sirromet, the perfect ending to this ultimate winery experience.
“Our focus on wine education, premium wine production and tourism development are core to growing the global reputation of the Granite Belt region, and thanks to our partners this program delivers exactly that.” Said Sirromet General Manager Rod Hill
Sirromet Winery, currently export to Japan and the development of education and tourism visitation to Queensland is a key strategy to drive further growth of their export wine businesses.
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Sirromet Winery: A member of Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, Sirromet is a family owned and run winery located at Mount Cotton, just a short drive from Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Sirromet's state-of-the-art facility includes production, bottling, and packaging facilities, barrel rooms, accommodation, cellar door, Tuscan Terrace, Restaurant Lurleen's, accommodation, worm farm and waste recycling plant.
Sirromet Wine: Sirromet’s three vineyards are located in Ballandean, within the Queensland’s Granite Belt wine region. Utilising traditional methods and new technology, Sirromet’s Chief winemaker Adam Chapman, Director of Vineyard and Winery operation Mike Hayes and team produce exquisite quality Granite Belt wines recognised on the world stage, having collected over 910 prestigious national and international wine awards to date.
Sirromet has 97 wine tanks on-site at Mount Cotton with a total capacity of 2.16-million litres. The largest tanks hold 120,000-litres each
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Theresa Matthews - Tel: (07) 3822 0648. E-mail: theresa@sirromet.com SIRROMET WINES: 850 Mount Cotton Road, Mount Cotton, Queensland 4165. Tel: (07) 3206-2999. Fax: (07) 3206-0900. E-mail: wines@sirromet.com WEBSITE: http://www.sirromet.com PHOTOGRAPHS: Sirromet’s Director of Vineyard and Winery Operations Mike Hayes and Japanese Sommeliers at Queensland’s Granite Belt.
