Meet the Queensland wine producer pushing the boundaries

Ray Costanzo is a winemaker who likes to push the boundaries. 

In addition to making the family's Golden Grove Estate Wines at Ballandean in southern Queensland, Costanzo and his wife Jen also craft some thoroughly modern wines in tiny quantities under their Storm King Wine Co. label. The brand is named after the area where they live.

Using fruit entirely from the Granite Belt, Storm King is making some of the best wines coming out of that state - using some non-mainstream grape varieties as well as extended contact with skins, natural ferments, hand plunging, basket pressing and minimal filtration.

All their previous vintages have sold out - a sign that the wines are hitting the mark with consumers. 

"This little brand is not about volume, or getting in people's faces," Costanzo says. "It is a project for my myself and my wife that that keeps us happy while also reflecting our sustainable lifestyle."

The new releases include the first vintage of gamay - the Beaujolais grape - from a minuscule first crop, along with a fun 2025 Vermentino, a 2024 Tempranillo and and a 2024 Mataro Graciano. 

There is also a rather more mainstream 2024 Shiraz/Malbec blend. 

The 2025 Gamay ($50) is a micro-production with fewer than 100 bottles for sale - so you might already be too late. Think partial whole-bunch, carbonic maceration, natural yeast, basket pressing and joyous youthful drinkability. 

"I'm very excited about the future of this variety down the road," Costanzo says.  

My favourite of the new releases was the super-gluggable 2024 Mataro Graciano ($45) with bright fruit, but impressive savoury notes. Very food friendly. 

The 2025 Vermentino ($40) is on the fun and funky side of the spectrum. Think natural ferment on skins, basket pressing, full malo, older oak and lees maturation. 

The Costanzos live off grid and make wines that are sustainable, made with minimal intervention but using their scientific backgrounds. 

The wines are bright and fun and offer good value. They might just change your mind if you have preconceived ideas about Queensland wines. 

See www.stormkingwine.com.au. But be quick - and get on the mailing list for future releases. 

  

      

Tread Softly walks the walk for female winemakers

Tread Softly Wines, one of Australia’s highest-profile sustainability-driven wine brands, has launched a Next Generation Winemaking Rising Star Program, an initiative designed to empower the next wave of female winemaking talent.

The year-long program offers one rising female winemaker the chance to work alongside some of Australia’s top mentors, develop their own signature wine, and gain end-to-end exposure across production, marketing, and global trade and consumer engagement.

Known for is eco-friendly practices and lighter wines, Tread Softly's new initiative has been designed to empower emerging winemakers to continue progressing in sustainable winemaking and nurture a greener future for generations to follow.

Applications are now open for the program and close on July 11.

Tread Softly says it has a mission to incorporate social responsibility by supporting emerging winemakers.

“Our goal with the Next Generation Winemaking Rising Star Program is to champion up-and-coming female winemakers to leave their mark on the industry," said Indeya Passfield, Tread Softly global marketing manager and program mentor.

"Tread Softly is more than a wine brand - it’s a movement. By employing efficient production practices and planting over two million trees, we’ve been working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and give back to the land.

"Now, we are expanding our mission to give back to the wine world by investing in its future leaders.”

Submissions will be judged on creativity, authenticity, and sustainability, with the most compelling entry selected for the program.

Tread Softly is a brand of Fourth Wave Wines. See www.treadsoftly.com/nextgeneration.