ROMAVILLA WINERY, ROMA, QUEENSLAND

Roma (elevation 300m) is situated on the western slope of the Great Dividing Range, about 500km west of Brisbane.

Romavilla's vineyards are on the northern edge of Roma on the flood plain of the Bungil Creek which runs down from the hills around

Injune to the north. Bungil Creek and the Maranoa River have their sources in the rugged country just to the north of Roma and are

headwaters of the Murray/Darling Rivers system which stretches thousands of kilometres to South Australia. The summers are hot

and the winters cold as in most inland areas of Australia.Romavilla's vineyards are unirrigated and yields are low.

Generally fungus diseases are not as big a problem as in areas closer to the coast. Hence the use of fungicides is lower.

A few times over the last ten years floods have come down the Bungil and surrounded the vineyards which are on slight rises,

while Roma has had a clear blue sky overhead. The soil is sandy loam and grape varieties grown include

Shiraz, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Crouchen and Muscats. Typically vintage starts about the 20th January,

about one week ahead of the Hunter River region, N.S.W.

Grape growing and wine making are among Roma's longest established industries. Grapes were first planted in the Roma

district about 1857 at Mt. Abundance Station, just west of Roma. Perhaps Major Mithcell's words when he first visited the area

on his expedition of discovery in 1846, inspired the planting - "I ascended an elevated north eastern extremity of Mount

Abundance and from it beheld the finest country I had ever seen in a primeval state - a champagne region, spotted with wood,

stretching as far as human vision or even the telescope could reach ..."

Samuel Bassett established The Romavilla Vineyards in 1863 and sold his first wine in 1866. By the turn of the century

 his marketing list included "Burgundy, Chablis, Hock, Claret, Riesling, Champagne and Sauternes, Port, Muscat,

Sherry and Madeira". Bassett also sold grapes to colonial and overseas markets packing them in sawdust for safe

 transit and many thousands of cases of grapes annually from other Roma growers also found their way to eastern markets.

Romavilla has not missed a vintage since1866 producing 30,000 to 170,000 litres wine through the 1930s to 60s depending on the year.

The present winery was built in 1878 and is a fine example of those large timber and corrugated iron buildings of yesteryear.

The high roof, supported by elegant king post trusses, helps alleviate the heat during summer.

Today Romavilla is owned by David and Joy Wall who, with their son, Richard, as Vineyard Manager and

Assistant Winemaker and who has gained international experience working in California U.S.A., have modernised

 the winery equipment to continue production of interesting and quality table wines as well as the luscious fortifieds a