Better known as “Nadine the Wine Queen”, Nadine Delahunty puts the whimsy back in wine education. As family ambassador for her parents’ Sirromet winery in Mount Cotton, around half an hour from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Nadine has made it her mission to demystify the world of wine for women.

“A lot of my female friends were scared to pick a wine off a wine list when they’d go out,” Nadine says. “And they shouldn’t be. So it’s just about educating them, so they can learn different varietals of wine. Then when they go out they feel a bit more comfortable choosing wines for themselves.”

At the hugely popular Women’s Wednesday Wine Club lunches, held at the exclusive Lurleen’s, just one of the winery's onsite dining venues, Nadine talks through the estate’s offerings and food pairings in an entertaining way that obviously resonates with her audience.

“I’ve got about 50 ladies who’ve been to every single one of these lunches. I’m getting up to 150 ladies at a time now; I’ve had to cap it at 150, as it gets too much, and you can’t really get your message across," says Nadine.

She’s also passionate about bringing to fruition her parents’ vision of offering great Queensland drops, created with estate grapes grown in the state’s Granite Belt wine country, at a great venue. It’s a passion into which she’s increasingly pouring her energy.

“As a mother of four, I’d always been busy bringing up the kids. But I have the time now to put this into the business," says Nadine.

“I had a lady who, every time she went out, would text me a photo of the wine list and ask me what to pick. I haven’t heard from her for a while, so she must be confident to choose now!”