How to Picnic in Granite Belt Wine Country

In the vineyard, amongst the Christmas trees… we’ve uncovered the best picnic spots in Stanthorpe and surrounds. We have all the right ingredients for you to indulge, find our tips on how to build your own picnic or buy one ready-made in this food lover’s playground.

Please check prices when booking as picnic prices are subject to change.

Summit Estate Sunset Picnic in the Vineyard

Settle in for a relaxed picnic watching the sunset over the vineyard on the lawn at Summit Estate‘s much-loved sunset sessions. Grab a bean bag and sit back, bring your own picnic rug, take a spot in the undercover terrace or set up at the outdoor picnic tables. During the cooler months, find a spot to snuggle up by the roaring campfire or get cosy inside their cellar by the wood-burning stoves.

Order a grazing box featuring locally sourced charcuterie, cheeses, olives (and more), choose your wine with a wine tasting inside the cellar door, then picnic your own way outside.

Great for families, couples, groups and for those who want to bring their pooch along to enjoy the sunset views too.

When: Every Friday and Saturday.
BYO picnic OR pre-order a grazing box PH: 07 4683 2011

Picnic at a Christmas Tree Farm

Throw out a rug amongst the avenues of real Christmas trees at the Granite Belt Christmas Farm and savour the smell of fresh pine. Whether it’s a date or you’ve got the whole family, pre-order one of their famous picnic hampers and enjoy with your favourite Granite Belt wine or beer (BYO). Meet Santa’s animals or step inside their Mistletoe Store to a Christmas wonderland where you’re in the thick of the festive season every day of the year.

Picnic hampers for two: $40.
Family picnic hampers: $65.

Pre-order online here or via their cafe PH: 0499 924 289

Gourmet Picnic Basket at Hidden Creek Vineyard

You can’t pick a better picnic spot than down by the water under the shady trees overlooking the vineyard at Hidden Creek Vineyard & Cafe. This award-winning winery offers ‘Build-Your-Own’ cheese platters to tailor to your taste buds that complement their small batch wines. Choose from a selection of artisanal cheeses from Stanthorpe Cheese, smoked meats and condiments.

Dog friendly? Yes.

Takeaway Gourmet Picnic Hampers or BBQ Packs

The Queensland College of Wine Tourism in Stanthorpe makes picnics easy with their takeaway packs.  Order a gourmet picnic hamper, or a gourmet BBQ pack.  

While you’re there, grab a bottle of wine from the Banca Ridge Cellar Door onsite at the Wine College.

Cost: $90 – $150 for two people.

Order 24hrs prior PH: 07 4685 5050 or E: qcwt@usq.edu.au

Picnic Experience at Ridgemill Estate

Ridgemill Estate is one of the region’s must-do winery experiences. Grab one of their cheese platters, charcuterie boards or picnic hampers to enjoy on the lawn or amongst vineyard with a glass of your favourite Ridgemill wine.

Platters from $25. Order online here.

Take your picnic to the next level and book their special Picnic and Play-Day. This includes bike hire for a cycle through the vineyard and quiet country roads, use of estate games, a gourmet picnic hamper and blanket for two complimentary bottle of Ridgemill Estate wine and a regional produce hamper to take home.

$100 per person.
Available 7 days.

Bonus, Ridgemill Estate welcomes paw friends too.

Want to stay a little longer? Of course, you do! Wake up in the vineyards when you book a stay in one of their studio cabins. Find more vineyard stays in the Granite Belt here.

Build Your Own Granite Belt Picnic Basket

Vincenzo’s at The Big Apple is the Granite Belt’s ultimate one-stop shop for packing your own picnic basket. Look no further than their Italian-style deli, plus you can pick up plenty of your favourite Granite Belt wines here too.

Join a cheese tasting at Stanthorpe Cheese to help you decide which of their farmhouse fromages you’ll be adding to your picnic basket. At their cafe you’ll find a range of crackers and accompaniments to serve up with their award-winning cheeses. Alternatively, pre-order their famed Ploughman’s Platter as a takeaway picnic. Ask their staff for a cold pack if you plan on adventuring out for the full day.

At Jamworks Gourmet Foods Cafe & Larder try a wide selection of their jams and chutneys at their tasting bar that use local ingredients to help you plan your picnic. You’ll be spoilt for choice here with a large range pastes, relishes, local cheeses and crackers for your picnic basket to choose from. Can’t decide? Grab one of their hand-picked bundles to go.

Want to add some freshly baked sourdough to your cheese board? Stop in at ZEST Pastries in Stanthorpe’s CBD. Their Swiss-inspired selection is made daily from scratch by the professional team and baked to perfection, with only the freshest ingredients, many of which are locally sourced.

BBQ & Picnic Facilities at Bungawarra Wines

Bungawarra Wines in Ballandean is a 100% boutique experience. Part of the friendly welcome extended by owner-winemaker Jeff Harden is the invitation to use their picnic and barbecue facilities onsite.

The vineyard at Bungawarra was first established over 100 years ago and today you can still see muscat vines that are over 80 years old. While Bungawarra Wines could boast about their many wine awards, they believe your own tasting of the wines is the important part – so enjoy selecting your favourite picnic wines during a personalised tasting experience with Jeff.

Dog friendly? Yes, Bungawarra welcomes your furry friends to join you here.

Picnic with a view at View Wine

Picnic with the beautiful elevated vineyard views at Sancerre Estate, home to the aptly named ‘View Wines’. Book a wine tasting here with owner-winemakers (the grape-stained hands behind the varieties) Brad and Stacey and pack your own picnic to enjoy with your own private wine tasting. From this location, you can see from the Ballandean Pyramid, across Ballandean wineries below and towards Sundown National Park while overlooking their own vineyards.

Dog friendly? Yes, Sancerre Estate welcomes most visitors with four paws, just mention it when you book your tasting.

Need somewhere to stay? Make their B&B or Shiraz Cottage your vineyard home away from home.

Take your fully stocked picnic basket to these locations