Australian wines delivered a standout performance at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, securing four Best in Show trophies along with 11 platinum and 65 gold medals.
In a further mark of excellence, Australia topped the ranking for medal yield – a new, key metric recognising number of medals a country receives relative to its vineyard area – at 4.04 medals per 1,000 hectares.
Lilla O’Connor, Decanter World Wine Awards’ Head of Marketing, says: “This reflects a system where regional specialisation and strong export standards continue to drive excellence.
“Australia’s global reputation was further reinforced with four wines featured in the prestigious Top 50, representing four distinct regions.”
While Australia collected a total of 643 medals, the four top-tier wines recognised in the Decanter World Wine Awards Top 50 were Wirra Wirra The 12th Man Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2024; Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River 2022; Barossa Old Vine Company Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2022; and Trentham Estate Reserve Shiraz, Heathcote 2023.
In a state-by-state breakdown of medals, South Australia dominated with an impressive haul of 309, including two of the coveted Best in Show awards. While Tasmania was awarded one platinum medal, Victoria took out 16 top-tier medals, including one Best in Show.
In terms of subregions, Margaret River in Western Australia put on a standout performance and reinforced its global reputation for premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Australian Co-chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, Huon Hooke, commented: “Australia continues its well-established history of punching above its weight, placing fourth in total medal count behind the big three – France, Italy, and Spain. While there was a slight dip in the number of Best in Show awards, a strong overall medal count has placed Australia first in the new metric of medals per hectare of vineyard area.
“The mix of regions and producers was also heartening, with some of our most renowned wineries performing as expected, but also some lesser-known names emerging to receive well-deserved recognition.”
Bringing together wines from over 50 countries, the Decanter World Wine Awards are judged through a rigorous, multi-stage blind tasting process, with awards ranging from bronze and silver to gold, platinum and the coveted Best in Show.