Nestled in a traditional country garden, set high on a hillside at the southern end of Childers is the cellar door for Hill of Promise Winery.
Warm and inviting, it is easy to see hosts Mary and Terrance Byrnes are proud of what they have created here – a working winery that produces a range of varieties that have yielded them prestigious awards.
“What ends up in the bottle is dependent on two parts,” Mary explained. “The grapes and how they are grown, and what the winemaker does with them. We decided to focus our attention on the later. Cellar door visitors are impressed they can interact with our wine-making team.”
“We make whites and reds, in both dry and sweet styles, along with some fortifieds, but what we are really proud of is our sparkling wine,” added Terrance.
“We’re one of just a handful of Queensland wineries that make bubbly, using the traditional method. It is time consuming, but definitely worth the effort.”
The couple are an electrician and teacher by trade, but wine making was far from a new venture when they began Hill Of Promise winery more than two decades ago.
“When I was about 10, I made wine with my grandfather and when I was 17 I made my first sparkling wine out of pineapples. We always drank wine. As an Italian family it was just part of dinner,” Terrance said.