The Halliday Wine Companion has announced the winners of its 2026 Awards, recognising Australia’s leading wines, winemakers, viticulturists and wineries.
The ceremony was held at Ormond House, part of Melbourne’s The Commons Collective, where winners were revealed across seven major categories: Wine of the Year, Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Viticulturist of the Year, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery and Best Value Winery.
Brian Croser was inducted into the James Halliday Hall of Fame: Australian Wine Industry, which acknowledges individuals regarded as being of the highest significance to the sector. Seventeen wines were also recognised in varietal categories.
Award decisions were made collaboratively by the Halliday Tasting Team comprising Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW.
Halliday Wine Companion Head of Tasting, Katrina Butler, said: “We take great pleasure in announcing the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Award winners and extend our congratulations to each of them. The sheer magnitude of talent, the calibre of wines, the dedication to not only the art of winemaking but the restoration and preservation of our land was as apparent and resolute as the wines before us.
“We are immensely proud to acknowledge this year’s winners, and tonight we celebrate the very greats of the Australian wine industry, the winners representing the diversity of winemaking regions from across the country.
“The Tasting Team reviewed over 7000 wines for the 2026 Companion, and we’re proud to be able to share the results and indeed the new edition of the guide with fellow enthusiasts, industry peers and newcomers.”
The Awards coincided with the release of the 2026 edition of the Halliday Wine Companion, which includes more than 5000 tasting notes and scores. Over 7000 new notes are available online. The guide is available in stores nationally from today.
This year’s major award winnersare:
- Winery of the Year – Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, NSW
- Winemaker of the Year – Virginia Willcock, Vasse Felix, Margaret River, WA
- Viticulturist of the Year – Dr Dylan Grigg, Vinya Vella & Meristem Viticulture
- Best Value Winery – Bondar Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
- Best New Winery – Elanto Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, VIC
- Dark Horse Winery – bakkheia, Geographe, WA
- Wine of the Year – Thistledown Wines This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024, McLaren Vale