Wild Soul Winery, Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia.

Stanthorpe, in the Granite Belt, is the the wine and apple region of Queensland, Australia. Located about 3 hours southwest of Brisbane, Stanthorpe is home to over 50 wineries, apple orchards, music festivals and beautiful autumn scenery... far from the palm trees of Brisbane. I stumbled upon Wild Soul around 2002 and fell in love with the wines. They only produce a Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and a Merlot. I have had the 2003, 04, 05 Cab Sav and the Merlot and can heartily say that since I bought them by the case, I must have liked them. They can't be bought in wine shops, only at the vineyard.... worth every mile of the trip. The winery started as a chili farm but the owners found out that it was so expensive to ship chili interstate, with all the state fees and precautions one had to make to keep the shipments free from bugs and bacteria, that they turned it into a winery. The Merlot is one of the smoothest I've ever tasted and never left me feeling like I had too much. But I can say that of most any wine! It's slightly fruity flavour gave it a distinct taste on the palette and the oak overtones were just right, not too overwhelming. The Cab Sav was heartier as it should be. The oak a bit more pronounced but didn't take away from the flavour of the prime rib. If you have a friend going to Brisbane, Australia, make sure they bring you back a bottle or three!

http://www.wildsoul.netfirms.com/wildsoul.netfirms.com/Welcome.html
http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au/accom_result1/wild-soul/