Bold wines from the bush

After travelling the world, studying to become a chiropractor and working in tourism and wine sales, Jon realised he wanted to make wine. So, he packed up his family and moved from Queensland to the Barossa Valley, where he started from the bottom, working as a cellar hand in a winery. He went on to make wine in the Hunter Valley, France and the US, before returning to his home state of Queensland.

Jon and his wife Kim bought land at Mount Tambourine in the Gold Coast hinterland and built Witches Falls Winery from the ground up. All their fruit comes from the Granite Belt wine region, a few hours south west, but they wanted the winery and cellar door to be an easier drive for visitors.

The Granite Belt is an elevated, cooler-climate region that’s flown under the radar, being further from the well-known regions in Australia’s south. But it’s increasingly recognised for its potential as a premium winegrowing region and as a haven for adventurous wines.

“It’s a bit of a hidden gem in the Australian industry,” says Jon.

From his boutique winery, Jon crafts bold wines that strike a balance between tradition and innovation.

“We’re always open to experimentation and new ideas, and we’re open to trying different varieties, but quality is always our focus,” says Jon.

Witches Falls’ award-winning wines include full-flavoured Chardonnay, Verdelho, Sangiovese and Tempranillo. Jon uses various techniques including wild yeast fermentation. He was one of the early winemakers in Australia to bring back this old-school method.

“To get a bunch of grapes and turn it into a bottle of wine is extraordinary,” says Jon. “The microbes are the ones who are doing all the work, I’m purely the custodian of the process.”

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