Brokenwood has been crowned Winery of the Year for 2026 in the prestigious Halliday Wine Companion Awards, which were announced yesterday in conjunction with the official release of the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion. Following close behind were contenders House of Arras, Rieslingfreak, and Yangarra Estate.
Next, McLaren Vale’s Bondar Wines and Mornington Peninsula’s Elanto Vineyard took home the titles of Best Value Winery and Best New Winery respectively, while the final Major Winery Award for Dark Horse Winery went to Bakkheia from Geographe, Western Australia.
The two Major Awards for Winemaker and Viticulturalist of the Year went to Virginia Willcock of Vasse Felix, and Dr Dylan Grigg of Vinya Vella and Meristem Viticulture. Notably, Dylan Grigg was also named the second ever recipient of the McWilliam’s Excellence in Action Award at last month’s Australian Wine Industry Awards.
The seventh and final Halliday Wine Companion Major Award for Wine of the Year went to Thistledown Wines’ This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024, which retails for around $95.
Halliday Wine Companion’s Head of Tasting Katrina Butler said she and the team were “immensely proud to acknowledge this year’s winners” upon presenting the awards earlier this week.
“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,” she said.
“The Tasting Team reviewed over 7,000 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.”
In addition to the 18 Varietal Winners, all of which are listed below, the Awards honoured Australian winemaking legend Brian Croser as a new inductee into the James Halliday Hall of Fame: Australian Wine Industry. Described by Wine Australia as a “terroir trendsetter,” Croser’s 50 year career spans a vast number of key achievements, including pioneering vine plantings in Adelaide Hills’ Piccadilly Valley in 1979 and in Fleurieu Peninsula in 2003.
Also of note in the 2026 awards, albeit not included in the official awards’ communications, is Brown Brothers’ People’s Choice Award win, as voted on by over 10,000 consumers.
This consumer-driven accolade comes alongside an exceptional performance in the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, with eight of its wines scoring over 90 points and the entire Patricia range achieving 95 points or above.
“We are humbled by these recognitions, a testament to our winemaking and viticulture teams and the practices we have in place at Brown Brothers,” says Katherine Brown, fourth-generation family member and Luxury Portfolio Manager.
The result is particularly impressive considering the brand’s recent domination of the 2025 Australian Drinks Awards wine brand awards where it was recognised by consumers for its wine flavour innovations – the opposite end of the spectrum to Patricia. It also became the only single brand across all liquor categories to win more than three awards.
When asked how Brown Brothers balances its traditional brand pedigree with innovation, Brown Family Wine Group’s Head of Innovation Emma Brown responds by saying the approach has changed little over the brand’s 136 years of operatinos and four generations of stewards.
“Our history is based on innovation. My uncles, my grandfather, my great-grandfather before me were always kind of innovators looking outside the box, and so although we think we’re pushing the status quo in what we do, I think it’s actually part of our DNA of trying things differently and breaking the rules a bit.”
Emma Brown Continued, “although we’re kind of seen as a traditional wine company, I actually don’t think we’ve ever really been limited by those traditions anywhere in our history … Our philosophy has been, for 136 years, that we have to put the consumer at the heart of everything we do.”
The full list of 2026 Halliday Wine Companion awards is as follows:
Varietal Winners:Grenache of the Year | Red Wine of the Year | Wine of the Year: Thistledown Wines This Charming Man Single Vineyard, Clarendon Grenache 2024, McLaren Vale – 98 pointsChardonnay of the Year | White Wine of the Year: Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River – 99 pointsShiraz of the Year: Koomilya JC Block Shiraz 2022, McLaren Vale – 99 pointsSparkling Wine of the Year: Stefano Lubiana Prestige 2011, Tasmania – 98 pointsRiesling of the Year: Leo Buring DWB17 Leonay Riesling 2024, Eden Valley – 98 pointsSemillon of the Year: First Creek Wines Museum Release Oakey Creek Vineyard Semillon 2017, Hunter Valley – 98 pointsSauvignon Blanc of the Year: Weaver Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Adelaide Hills – 97 pointsPinot Gris/Grigio of the Year: Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio 2024, Central Victoria Zone – 96 pointsOther Whites & Blends of the Year: tripe.Iscariot Kroos Chenin Blanc 2023, Margaret River – 98 pointsRosé of the Year: Sutton Grange Winery Fairbank Rosé 2024, Central Victoria Zone – 96 pointsPinot Noir of the Year: Mount Mary Pinot Noir 2023, Yarra Valley – 98 pointsCabernet Sauvignon of the Year: Devil’s Lair Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Margaret River – 98 pointsCabernet & Blends of the Year: Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023, Yarra Valley – 99 pointsOther Reds & Blends of the Year: Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 8 Winemaker’s Selection Shiraz Cabernet 2023, Hunter Valley – 98 pointsSweet Wine of the Year: Calabria Family Wines 3 Bridges Botrytis Semillon 2024, Riverina – 96 pointsFortified Wine of the Year: All Saints Estate Museum Muscadelle NV, Rutherglen – 100 pointsWildcard of the Year: Lethbridge Wines Yellow NV, Geelong – 96 pointsJames Halliday Hall of Fame:James Halliday Hall of Fame: Australian Wine Industry – Brian CroserMajor Award WinnersWinery of the Year: Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, NSWWinemaker of the Year: Virginia Willcock, Vasse Felix, Margaret River, WAViticulturist of the Year: Dr Dylan Grigg, Vinya Vella and Meristem ViticultureBest Value Winery; Bondar Wines, McLaren Vale, SABest New Winery: Elanto Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, VICDark Horse Winery: bakkheia, Geographe, WAWine of the Year: Thistledown Wines This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024, McLaren Vale
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