Minister helps put Tropical North QLD’s fruit wine industry on the map
Published Friday, 04 April, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle
The unique tropical fruit wines of North Queensland are a major feature of the revised Queensland Wine and Food Map being launched this month, Minister for Tourism Desley Boyle said today.
Previewing the new map at an industry event in Cairns today, Ms Boyle said North Queensland’s tropical fruit wines were certain to attract a great deal of interest from both domestic and international wine tourists.
“Fresh, delicious tropical fruit has always been on the menu here in the north,” Ms Boyle said.
“Now our fruit wines are proving the perfect complement to our unique tropical cuisine – they’re proving to be very popular with our international visitors.”
Fruit wine was first produced commercially in Bundaberg in 1974. Today Far North Queensland locations such as Mission Beach, Cooktown, Mareeba, Silkwood and Port Douglas have all added fruit wine to their list of attractions.
Ms Boyle said annual sales exceeded $1.6m in 2006/07, with approximately $1.5m in sales made through cellar door sales by the 12 tropical fruit wine producers in Far North Queensland.
“This clearly indicates the significance of fruit wine tourism to the local economy,” she said.
Ms Boyle said six boutique North Queensland food producers were also included in the revised Queensland Wine and Food Map, first launched in March 2006.
“The producers that feature on the new map all offer something extra to the wine and food loving tourist, providing the same ‘cellar door’ type experience for guests as our locally featured wineries,” she said.
Far North Queensland is one of ten wine regions to feature in the 2008 Queensland Wine and Food Map.
“The wine map of Queensland is the most comprehensive wine map in Australia targeting wine tourists,” Ms Boyle said.
“It not only provides information about cellar doors, wineries and wine producers but also detailed information about tourist facilities in each region and the location of visitor information centres, grape varieties grown at each property, opening hours and weblinks to producers, as well as boutique food producers such as cheese, olive, coffee and jam makers.
“And with all that it still fits neatly into a car glovebox.”
Far North Queensland fruit wineries and food producers to feature in the 2008 Queensland Wine and Food Map are:
• Cairns Tropical Wines, Cairns Night Markets
• De Brueys Boutique Wines, Mareeba
• Dreamtime Wines, Cairns
• Endeavour Valley Winery, Cooktown – Mail Order Only
• Golden Drop Winery, Mareeba
• Moonlite Wine, Dimbulah – Mail Order Only
• Murdering Point Winery, Silkwood East
• Pacific Blue, Ingham
• Paradise Estate Wines, Mission Beach
• Shannonvale Tropical Wine, Mossman
• Sunset Ridge, Yungaburra – Mail Order Only
• Wild Mountain Cellars, Mareeba
• The Coffee Works / Chocolate Works, Mareeba
• Skybury Coffee, Mareeba
• Gallo Dairyland, Atherton
• Jaques Coffee, Mareeba
• Tichum Creek Coffee Farm, Mareeba
• Mungalli Creek Dairy and Out of the Whey Diodynamic Cheesery and Teahouse, Millaa Millaa
Ends
Media contact: 3225 1005 or 3224 2007
4 April 2008
Previewing the new map at an industry event in Cairns today, Ms Boyle said North Queensland’s tropical fruit wines were certain to attract a great deal of interest from both domestic and international wine tourists.
“Fresh, delicious tropical fruit has always been on the menu here in the north,” Ms Boyle said.
“Now our fruit wines are proving the perfect complement to our unique tropical cuisine – they’re proving to be very popular with our international visitors.”
Fruit wine was first produced commercially in Bundaberg in 1974. Today Far North Queensland locations such as Mission Beach, Cooktown, Mareeba, Silkwood and Port Douglas have all added fruit wine to their list of attractions.
Ms Boyle said annual sales exceeded $1.6m in 2006/07, with approximately $1.5m in sales made through cellar door sales by the 12 tropical fruit wine producers in Far North Queensland.
“This clearly indicates the significance of fruit wine tourism to the local economy,” she said.
Ms Boyle said six boutique North Queensland food producers were also included in the revised Queensland Wine and Food Map, first launched in March 2006.
“The producers that feature on the new map all offer something extra to the wine and food loving tourist, providing the same ‘cellar door’ type experience for guests as our locally featured wineries,” she said.
Far North Queensland is one of ten wine regions to feature in the 2008 Queensland Wine and Food Map.
“The wine map of Queensland is the most comprehensive wine map in Australia targeting wine tourists,” Ms Boyle said.
“It not only provides information about cellar doors, wineries and wine producers but also detailed information about tourist facilities in each region and the location of visitor information centres, grape varieties grown at each property, opening hours and weblinks to producers, as well as boutique food producers such as cheese, olive, coffee and jam makers.
“And with all that it still fits neatly into a car glovebox.”
Far North Queensland fruit wineries and food producers to feature in the 2008 Queensland Wine and Food Map are:
• Cairns Tropical Wines, Cairns Night Markets
• De Brueys Boutique Wines, Mareeba
• Dreamtime Wines, Cairns
• Endeavour Valley Winery, Cooktown – Mail Order Only
• Golden Drop Winery, Mareeba
• Moonlite Wine, Dimbulah – Mail Order Only
• Murdering Point Winery, Silkwood East
• Pacific Blue, Ingham
• Paradise Estate Wines, Mission Beach
• Shannonvale Tropical Wine, Mossman
• Sunset Ridge, Yungaburra – Mail Order Only
• Wild Mountain Cellars, Mareeba
• The Coffee Works / Chocolate Works, Mareeba
• Skybury Coffee, Mareeba
• Gallo Dairyland, Atherton
• Jaques Coffee, Mareeba
• Tichum Creek Coffee Farm, Mareeba
• Mungalli Creek Dairy and Out of the Whey Diodynamic Cheesery and Teahouse, Millaa Millaa
Ends
Media contact: 3225 1005 or 3224 2007
4 April 2008