Romavilla Winery former owners, Wall family, speak out at lost of historic building

The Wall family owned and operated Queensland's oldest winery, in Roma, for 38 years after buying the business from the Bassets in 1975.

The timber building was built long before that, in 1878, and hadn't missed a vintage from 1866 until it was sold in 2013 to the Fortitude Valley-based Katarzyna Group, which owned hospitality venues.

Richard Wall was only one when his parents, David and Joy, bought the winery.

"From a young age in summer we would be up at 4am in the morning picking grapes, come back at 7am and crush the grapes, but then later in life after I went to school and uni I came back and was working there," he said.

"There is certainly many good memories and good times from there, quite a few social occasions as well as just the interactions with the tourists.

"(Mum and Dad) spent a very large portion of their working life there...they invested pretty much all of their time and savings into the business.

"They built it up from when they purchased it and made a living from it. It was their livelihood for that entire period. They were definitely a little upset last night."

Police have now declared the site a crime scene.

He learnt of the blaze when a friend called him not long after the fire was first reported.

"Firstly it was a bit of disbelief and shock but then as it sunk in, they sent a few photos of what was going on and a few videos," he said.

"Certainly (I felt) sadness and disappointment, it's a massive loss for Roma and Queensland."

While he now lives in Toowoomba and hadn't been back to the winery since 2013, Mr Wall said it sold "walk in, walk out" and all the historical memorabilia, winemaking equipment and wine in barrels was there when they left.

Less than a week before the blaze (June 16) a community survey run by the Maranoa Council closed for submissions with the intention of gaining local's feedback on restoring the building for tourist purposes.

In a video posted to his Facebook page recently, mayor Tyson Golder said the building was in "remarkably good condition" considering it hadn't been used for some time.

"It's a classic old timber building and it just needs the normal maintenance any building does," he said.

"The community has been bringing up that we do not save enough of our history so that's why we are going out to consultation."

Mr Wall said it would have been a very positive thing for the town and was sad to think of the viticultural history that had been lost.

"Some of the grape varieties that were grown were bred at the estate farm there in Roma and the wine making advancements in the early 1900s; it was at the pinnacle of winemaking technology at that time," he said.

"They developed various techniques and imported equipment to allow them to make outstanding wine. It's just an example of the pioneering spirit and ingenuity of the time."

At its peak the winery was said to be capable of holding 30,000 gallons of wine and housed the entire production process under the one roof.

A Maranoa Regional Council spokesperson thanked the first responders for ensuring the safety of the community during this unfortunate event.

Cr Golder said it was a tragedy for the community to see the historic Romavilla Winery engulfed in flames.

"To lose such an iconic landmark in our region will be felt far and wide," he said, in a statement.

"I'm also very grateful that no one was hurt, and I'd like to express my sincere thanks to our first responders who brought the blaze under control and ensured the safety of the Roma community.

"I look forward to seeing the outcome of the investigation."

Sign up here to Good Fruit and Vegetables weekly newsletter for all the latest horticulture news each Thursday...