Queensland

This north-eastern state has twice as much land devoted to vines as Tasmania but usually produces only half as much wine, thanks largely to its low annual rainfall. Its wine industry is growing faster than that of any other state and it even has its own minister for wine. Almost all vineyards are clustered in two regions: the Granite Belt, where red wines outnumber whites two to one and the main varieties are Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay and Semillon; and yet further north in South Burnett. In the Granite Belt in particular, high altitude compensates to a certain extent for low latitude.