Granite Belt Wine Masterclass with Vinoversity

You've done the cellar doors. This one goes deeper.

An intimate two hours in Ballandean, in the heart of Queensland's Granite Belt, with a winemaker walking you through his own back yard. Serious wine education with nothing dumbed down, and a serious amount of fun along the way. Mastery, not mystery.

Your masterclass begins out in the vineyard, a glass of something sparkling already in hand, as you walk and talk through the source of it all. Then we move inside to the tasting lab, where I guide you, winemaker to guest, on a journey around the Granite Belt in seven wines, grazing on curated nibbles as we go.

Here is the part that changes everything. We taste using the Vinometer, a simple, repeatable method I built for reading any wine in the glass. Not a head full of facts about every wine on the bench, but one clear way to approach, understand and talk about any wine you meet. You leave with a skill, not just a lovely afternoon.

What's included

• A walk through the vines, sparkling in hand


• Seven wines, guided start to finish (a welcome sparkling and six more)


• Curated nibbles, a few matched to the wines


• Your own Riedel glass to take home


• A tasting journal, the Vinometer inside, yours to keep


• Two hours, just twelve guests, never more

What to expect

Expect to taste properly, ask anything, and laugh more than you'd expect at a "wine class". It's not a sommelier exam, there's nothing to pass and no wrong answers. It's not a big noisy event, it's twelve people, never more. And it's not a hard sell, I'm just here to share what I know. You'll walk out two hours later seeing the whole thing differently.

A bit about me

I'm Andrew. Vinoversity is the product of more than twenty-five years on the working side of the glass: making the wine, distilling the spirits, running the cellar doors and writing the wine lists. What I learnt is that most of what makes wine feel intimidating is performance. This class draws the curtain back and shows you how it actually works.

The detail

Classes run for about two hours, on Saturdays through August and September, at 15 Gianini Lane, Ballandean (Bent Road Cellar Door). Please arrive about ten minutes early, and leave yourself some time to linger afterwards. This is a wine tasting, so guests taking part in the wines need to be 18 or over. Staying with a local accommodation partner? Ask them about a founding-season rate.

Come curious. That's the only requirement.

 - Andrew.