It’s Gold, Gold and Gold on the Granite Belt!

There are gold medals everywhere on the granite belt at the moment and it has nothing to do with the Commonwealth Games!  Local wineries and food producers have come home from competition with a full swag of medals. 

At the prestigious Queensland Wine Show, Golden Grove Estate Winery at Ballandean came away with the big awards; Champion Wine of the Show, Best Alternate Red Wine and The Most Successful Exhibitor.  Not to be left out, Summit Estate Wines won Best Red Wine and Robert Channon Wines won Best White Wine.

Now, we’ve always loved The Bramble Patch and it seems we’re not alone.  Judges from around Australia are impressed with their range of gourmet goodies.  Here’s their latest list of medals:

• Royal Hobart Fine Food Show - 3 Gold and 1 Bronze medal
• Royal Melbourne Fine Food Show - 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze
• Royal Sydney Fine Food Show - 3 Bronze

Congratulations everyone.  Keep up the good (and tasty) work! 

It Takes a Lot of Beer to Make Good Wine!

Peter and Karen Orr from Felsberg Winery take this axiom so seriously they decided to make their own beer. So, now amongst the Granite Belt vineyards, you can also sample Felsberg’s own European Lager….and it’s good!

The name ‘Felsberg’ is a German expression for ‘rocky hill or mountain.’ When driving up the granite boulder strewn hillside toward the Bavarian styled building that houses the winery, you’ll see that Felsberg is well named. We’re hoping for a Felsberg 'Rocky Horror' party…hint, hint.

The Bell Tower Café at Felsberg Winery is one of our favourite places for lunch. Set high upon the hill with sweeping views of the Glen Aplin valley, the café is a great spot to relax over a tasty meal.

Beer, wine, food, AND views…. It doesn’t get much better!

Stanthorpe's Best Kept Secret - Patty's On McGregor

Patty's On McGregor is a personal favourite of ours at Alure Boutique Villas.  The majority of our guests dine at Patty's and just love it!  Tucked away in a side street in Stanthorpe, Patty's is easy to miss if you're not in the know. 

The building that houses Patty's was originally a general store when it was built some 60 years ago and has retained its quaintness.  Inside, Patty's has a french country feel (with a twist) and is warm and friendly with lovely ambience.

Patty and Howard make up the team that is Patty's On McGregor. They put their heart and soul into this lovely little restaurant and its gorgeous meals.  Patty sources the freshest (mostly organic) produce the Granite Belt region has to offer- often direct from the farmers gate. 

We've seen men look like they've lost their best mate after finishing Patty's eye fillet steak.  Our world-travelled guests claim they have never had better cake than Patty's French Flourless Chocolate Cake....It's our personal favourite too!  Vegetarian or gluten free?  Don't worry, Patty will have something special for you.

Next time you're on the Granite Belt, do yourself a favour and dine at this hidden gem called Patty's On McGregor.

Patty's On McGregor is open Wednesday to Sunday nights (bookings essential).  Located at 2 McGregor St, Stanthorpe.  Patty's is BYO and has free corkage.  Ph 07 4681 3463

Why Drive When You Can Fly?

Sunshine Aviation recently launched their charter flight services from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast into Stanthorpe airport.  It seems it's a good move, as their phone was ringing within an hour of the launch with enquiries.  Just think, now you can reach your luxury accommodation on the Granite Belt in just 35 minutes from Brisbane. 

Elevate Your Tastebuds at Granite Belt Flavours

Missing your favourite Granite Belt foods? 

Love to visit Stanthorpe and don't have the time right now? 

Well now you can have a little taste of Granite Belt Wine Country without leaving Brisbane. 

Granite Belt's award winning wine makers along with local food producers with pure honey, preservative-free cheese, and other gourmet food lines are coming to the South Bank Markets for your convenience.

Come along, sample your favourite wine / food and hear renowned celebrity chef Peter Howard share the secrets of wine and food matching.

Granite Belt Flavours

Sunday 21 March 2010

10am to 3pm

Little Stanley St, South Brisbane

19th Biennial Stanthorpe Art Festival Gala Opening an Outstanding Success

Friday night was the gala opening of the 19th Biennial Stanthorpe Art Festival, and a first for us.  What a wonderful night!  All 250 tickets were sold out and the art gallery was a buzz with energy and excitement.

The festival was opened by the very warm and eloquent Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AO.  We at Alure Boutique Villas were delighted to host John McDonald, esteemed art critic and author during his Stanthorpe stay.  John performed the very difficult task of judging at the festival.  With over 1000 entries Australia wide, John managed to somehow whittle the exhibition down to 145 diverse contemporary works.  The winner of the $10,000 prize was Gosia Wlodarczak's striking artwork titled "Lawrence Armchair Graphite #2".  Other renowned artists include Greg Daly, Thomas Spence, Robyn Sweeney, Richard Dunlop, Josie Petyarre and Nigel Killalea to name just a few.

As festival sponsors, we were invited to a preview tour of the exhibits with John McDonald.  We found John's comments and knowledge illuminating and insightful.

Do yourself a favour and see the Stanthorpe Art Festival before it ends on 18 April 2010!

Iconic Apple & Grape Harvest Festival - Coming Soon to Stanthorpe!

Voted an Iconic Queensland Event in the Q150 Celebrations, the Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest festival, is one of Queensland's longest running and most successful Festivals!

Join in from 5th March - 7th March 2010 for three days and nights of non-stop fun! The festival, held biennially, is a celebration of the Granite Belt region's produce and booming wine industry. Arguably Australia's leading harvest festival, it has a successful track record spanning four decades.

Time is running out for accommodation on this jam packed weekend - we are fully booked at Alure!  Try searching on http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au/

For more information on the Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival, visit http://www.appleandgrape.org/

Welcome to Stanthorpe Granite Belt

With this being the first post on our newly created Blog it seems fitting to introduce ourselves. We are mother and daughter duo, Ruth McLennan and Marion Carrick and are the owners of Alure Boutique Villas (luxury accommodation in Stanthorpe). We lived in Brisbane and moved to Stanthorpe, chasing a more relaxing lifestyle.

Our intent with this Blog is to try to show visitors to Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt what is great about this part of the world and why we love the region. Stanthorpe has a unique character and we hope we can communicate some of that to you over the coming months.