Jester Hill Wines

Jester Hill Wines is a boutique, family-run cellar door on Mt Stirling Road at Glen Aplin in the Granite Belt, and its dog policy is genuine rather than token: the winery keeps two resident dogs of its own, a Great Dane called Scooby-Doo and a Blue Heeler called Major, so visiting dogs are simply part of the furniture.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on the verandah, where a tie-up pole and water dishes are set out, and tastings run happily at the outdoor tables. The indoor cellar door is best treated as out of bounds, so plan your visit as a verandah experience. The resident dogs usually roam the grounds, so if your own dog is nervous around other animals, check in with staff on arrival and they can move Scooby-Doo and Major into the office while you taste.

Pepsi: a verandah with water bowls and two winery dogs to say hello to is about as good as a wine stop gets. Just give staff a heads up first if your dog is not relaxed around other dogs.

The vibe

Relaxed and family friendly, with staff used to dogs underfoot. The winery is known for gourmet platters of local meats, cheeses and olives built to sit alongside the tasting list, which runs to around seven or eight wines including a Granite Belt chardonnay. Weekdays can have the verandah to yourselves; weekends bring other dog-owning visitors to share the space. It suits social dogs that are settled around other animals.

Getting there and parking

The cellar door is at 292 Mt Stirling Road, Glen Aplin, just off the New England Highway between Stanthorpe and Ballandean. The drive in runs along a sealed country road, and parking is on site close to the door, so a dog-to-verandah transfer takes seconds. The winery opens 10am to 5pm daily.

Close by with the dogs

The Granite Belt has several other cellar doors that welcome dogs, so a short wine trail with the dog aboard is realistic. Art of Krupinski is just up the same road, Mountview Wines sits on Emu Swamp Road nearby, and Symphony Hill Wines at Ballandean is a short drive south.

More options are in the Queensland wineries guide and on the Glen Aplin destination page.