Sirromet Wines

Sirromet Wines was founded in 1998 by Terry Morris, a Queensland-based businessman and wine enthusiast, with the explicit ambition of producing world-class wine in Queensland and building the infrastructure to support the state's emerging wine tourism economy. The name Sirromet is an anagram of Morris, a deliberate signature on the project. The first vintage was 2000, by which time the development of the Mt Cotton winery site and the Granite Belt estate vineyards was well underway. The founding period coincided with the formal registration of Queensland's Geographical Indications: South Burnett in December 2000 and Granite Belt in March 2002, both of which positioned Queensland viticulture for its first sustained period of serious commercial recognition. Terry Morris's vision rested on three pillars: high-quality fruit from estate Granite Belt vineyards, centralised winemaking and cellar door at Mt Cotton south of Brisbane (within easy reach of the Brisbane metropolitan area and Gold Coast tourism economy), and an ambitious architectural and hospitality offering that would establish Queensland wine as a serious destination. The combination of estate vineyards, winemaking, restaurant, and event facilities all developed within the first decade of operation was unusual in Australian wine and set Sirromet apart from the established small-producer pattern of the Granite Belt.

• Founded 1998 by Terry Morris; the name Sirromet is an anagram of Morris, a deliberate signature on the project
• First vintage 2000; founding coincided with formal registration of Queensland's first wine GIs (South Burnett December 2000, Granite Belt March 2002)
• Terry Morris's three-pillar vision: estate Granite Belt fruit, centralised Mt Cotton winemaking, ambitious architectural and hospitality offering
• Combined estate vineyards, winemaking, restaurant, and event facilities developed within the first decade set Sirromet apart from the Granite Belt's small-producer pattern

The Mt Cotton winery, opened in 2000 on a 100 hectare site in the rolling hills south of Brisbane (approximately 35 minutes from the Brisbane CBD), was designed by Cox Rayner Architects and remains one of the most ambitious purpose-built winery facilities in Australia. The building draws on contemporary Queensland architectural vocabulary, with curved roof forms, extensive glazing, and verandahs that respond to the subtropical climate while maximising views over the dam and surrounding bushland. The project has won multiple architecture, tourism, and design awards across Australia, including recognition from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and successive Queensland Tourism Awards. The winery sits on the slopes above a private dam, with the cellar door, tasting room, restaurant Lurleen's (named after Terry Morris's wife Lurleen Morris), and event spaces all integrated into the architectural masterplan. Despite its location in Brisbane's outer south-eastern suburbs (some 200 kilometres north-east of the Granite Belt fruit source), the Mt Cotton site has become Sirromet's defining destination and one of the most-visited cellar doors in Australia, regularly hosting weddings, festivals (including the long-running A Day on the Green outdoor concert series), and corporate events at scale.

• Mt Cotton winery (2000): designed by Cox Rayner Architects on a 100 hectare site approximately 35 minutes from Brisbane CBD
• Contemporary Queensland architectural vocabulary: curved roofs, extensive glazing, verandahs responding to the subtropical climate
• Multiple architecture, tourism, and design awards including Royal Australian Institute of Architects recognition and successive Queensland Tourism Awards
• Lurleen's Restaurant (named after Terry Morris's wife Lurleen Morris), cellar door, and event spaces integrated into the masterplan; hosts the A Day on the Green outdoor concert series

Sirromet's fruit comes from three estate vineyards in the Granite Belt around Ballandean and Stanthorpe in South East Queensland, approximately 200 kilometres south-west of the Mt Cotton winery. The vineyards sit at elevations of 800 to 1,000 metres on the New England Batholith granite formation, in the cool subtropical highland conditions that define the Granite Belt regional style: warm days, cool to cold nights, four distinct seasons, and significant diurnal variation that preserves acidity and aromatic intensity. The vineyards are planted to the full classical Granite Belt variety mix, with Shiraz and Chardonnay anchoring the production, Verdelho as the signature alternative white, and a Strange Bird programme spanning Saperavi, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Marsanne, and other heat-tolerant Mediterranean and continental varieties. The decision to centralise winemaking at Mt Cotton, transporting fruit from the Granite Belt by refrigerated truck during harvest, reflects the original Morris vision of placing the consumer-facing destination as close as possible to Brisbane while sourcing fruit from Queensland's premier cool-climate growing region. The arrangement is unusual in Australian wine and required significant logistical investment, but has proven central to Sirromet's brand identity.

• Three estate vineyards in the Granite Belt around Ballandean and Stanthorpe at 800 to 1,000 metres elevation on the New England Batholith granite formation
• Cool subtropical highland conditions: warm days, cool to cold nights, four distinct seasons, significant diurnal variation preserving acidity and aromatic intensity
• Full classical Granite Belt variety mix: Shiraz and Chardonnay anchor production, Verdelho as signature alternative white, Strange Bird programme spanning Saperavi, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Marsanne
• Fruit transported by refrigerated truck approximately 200 km north-east during harvest to centralised Mt Cotton winemaking; unusual logistical arrangement in Australian wine

Sirromet's portfolio is structured around three principal tiers. The Saint Jude Reserve range is the flagship, with single-vineyard or reserve-tier expressions across Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and other varieties; the Saint Jude Reserve Shiraz is widely considered Queensland's most awarded reserve red. The 7 Scenes tier sits below Saint Jude and includes the 7 Scenes Verdelho that has become one of Queensland's most widely distributed Verdelho expressions and a benchmark for the variety in Australian wine. Below 7 Scenes, the broader varietal range includes accessible Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling wines, alongside the alternative Strange Bird programme that gives the producer significant range across the Granite Belt's regional variety toolkit. Mike Hayes was long-serving chief winemaker through the development of the Saint Jude and 7 Scenes ranges, with the winemaking team consistently winning James Halliday five-star ratings and multiple national trophies including the Queensland Wine Awards. The overall portfolio reflects Terry Morris's founding vision of producing world-class Queensland wine across multiple price points, with the Mt Cotton tourism offering and the Saint Jude reserve programme operating as twin engines of the Sirromet brand.

• Saint Jude Reserve range: flagship single-vineyard or reserve-tier across Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay; Saint Jude Reserve Shiraz is widely considered Queensland's most awarded reserve red
• 7 Scenes Verdelho: one of Queensland's most widely distributed Verdelho expressions; a benchmark for the variety in Australian wine
• Broader varietal range covers accessible Shiraz, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling; Strange Bird programme spans Saperavi, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Marsanne
• Mike Hayes long-serving chief winemaker; consistent James Halliday five-star ratings and multiple national and Queensland Wine Award trophies

The Mt Cotton facility is one of the most-visited wineries in Australia by sheer annual visitor numbers, with the cellar door, restaurant Lurleen's, function spaces, and outdoor concert grounds operating as an integrated tourism destination rather than a conventional winery cellar door. Lurleen's Restaurant (named after Terry Morris's wife Lurleen Morris) is one of Queensland's leading winery restaurants, with a chef-led menu that pairs across the Sirromet portfolio and consistently earns regional dining awards. The grounds also host A Day on the Green outdoor concerts, one of Australia's longest-running winery concert series, bringing major international and Australian touring acts to the Mt Cotton site at scale. Weddings, corporate events, and festival hire form a substantial part of the business model. The integrated hospitality offering has been central to building the Sirromet brand and to positioning Queensland wine within the broader Australian wine tourism conversation: while the Granite Belt itself remains a three-hour drive from Brisbane, Mt Cotton allows Queensland wine to be experienced within the Brisbane metropolitan day-trip economy. The model has become a reference point for other Australian wine regions exploring the development of urban-edge winery destinations alongside their core vineyard regions.

• Mt Cotton facility is among the most-visited wineries in Australia; integrated cellar door, restaurant, function spaces, and outdoor concert grounds
• Lurleen's Restaurant (named after Terry Morris's wife Lurleen): one of Queensland's leading winery restaurants with chef-led menu and regional dining awards
• A Day on the Green outdoor concert series: one of Australia's longest-running winery concert series, hosting major international and Australian touring acts
• Urban-edge model brings Queensland wine into the Brisbane day-trip economy while sourcing fruit from the Granite Belt three hours south-west; reference point for other Australian wine regions