LEEANNE PUGLISI-GANGEMI

Ballandean Estate Wines, Granite Belt, Queensland

Fourth-generation vigneron Leeanne was born into Queensland’s oldest family-owned and operated winery. She has worked in the family business since 1992 and sits on the Winemakers’ Federation board.

Where did you grow up? I was born and bred in Ballandean in Queensland’s premier wine region, the Granite Belt.

What do you like about working in a rural area? Apart from the beautiful scenery, the supportive community, proximity to major centres and great property values – it only takes me five minutes to drive to work!

Do you feel connected to the land through your winemaking? You can’t make great wines unless your vines are healthy and producing great fruit. We are first and foremost a primary producer, and water, climate and soil (or the ‘terroir’, as we wine producers say) is the most important part of our business.

How do you spend Christmas? Christmas is always in Ballandean and surrounds. Our children come home and we spend the day with our immediate family. Our heritage is Italian, so ‘immediate’ means uncles, aunts, first cousins, second cousins! There’s always a big banquet for breakfast, then lunch and dinner with wine at every meal. It’s always a highlight of our year. The winery cellar door is only closed two days per year, so Christmas is a special time.

What do you like to eat on Christmas Day? Favourite dishes include a pork trotter sauce that our mum and aunties make only for Christmas and Easter. I also make an old family recipe for dessert that we call Fried Cream. It’s a very thick, custard-style cream made with flour as the base (the peasant way – not many eggs). When it’s set, I coat it in flour, egg white and breadcrumbs, then shallow fry. After the custard is cool, we roll it in a mixture of icing sugar and cocoa to give it a kind of chocolate coating. It’s delicious!

What is your must-have drink? Definitely vintage Champagne.

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