The 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards have crowned Australia’s best in wine, from breakthrough newcomers to a Hunter Valley icon taking the top honour.

Australia’s most prestigious wine awards have toasted the nation’s top drops for 2026, with Hunter Valley heavyweight Brokenwood taking home the coveted title of Winery of the Year.

The announcement was made at Ormond House in Melbourne, where the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards unveiled winners across seven major categories, alongside varietal champions that spanned the country’s leading regions.

The big winners

• 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 and Meristem Viticulture
• Best New Winery – Elanto Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Vic
• Best Value Winery – Bondar Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
• Dark Horse Winery – bakkheia, Geographe, WA
• Wine of the Year – Thistledown Wines’ ‘This Charming Man’ Clarendon Grenache 2024, McLaren Vale, SA (also took out Red Wine of the Year and Grenache of the Year)

Other standouts included Vasse Felix’s Heytesbury Chardonnay 2023, which scored an extraordinary 99 points to claim White Wine of the Year and Chardonnay of the Year, and Tasmania’s Stefano Lubiana Prestige 2011, crowned Sparkling Wine of the Year. The Fortified Wine of the Year went to All Saints Estate’s Museum Muscadelle NV, Rutherglen, which achieved a perfect 100-point score.

Brokenwood’s moment in the spotlight

For Brokenwood’s chief winemaker, Stuart Hordern, the award was equal parts shock and delight.

“It’s quite an illustrious award. There are an incredible number of outstanding wineries in Australia on any given year, so to come out on top was quite a thrill," Hordern told Australian Traveller in an exclusive interview.

He credits Brokenwood’s success to a steadfast focus on quality, from entry-level favourites like Cricket Pitch White through to iconic wines such as Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay and the highly regarded Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz.

Hordern points to the 2023 Hunter Valley shiraz vintage as a defining moment.

“From harvest, we knew we were onto something special. The fruit had incredible natural colour, density and tannin maturity. You really only get one or two [great vintages] a decade, so to have that quality to start with is excellent."

Among them, the legendary Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz remains the clearest expression of Brokenwood’s philosophy – single-site pedigree, a strong sense of place and a legacy of excellence.

The Hunter Valley advantage

While Brokenwood has made waves nationally and internationally, Hordern insists the winery’s beating heart remains in the Hunter Valley.

“Aged Hunter semillon is unique in the world of wine. For a New World wine region to have a style that is incomparable to anything else – that’s rare. Aged Hunter semillon deserves its place on any table in the world," he said.

That sense of place extends to Brokenwood’s tight-knit team, which Hordern describes as “enthusiastic and hardworking," always benchmarking themselves against the world’s best to push standards higher.

Looking ahead

Winning Winery of the Year doesn’t mean slowing down. One project Hordern is especially excited about is the Oakey Creek Vineyard, acquired from the Drayton family, which is Brokenwood’s largest semillon fruit source.

“The improvements we’re making in that vineyard, seeing the fruits of that labour come to bear, is what the team and I are most excited about," he said.

Brokenwood’s win is both recognition of its 55-year legacy and a springboard for the future.

A celebration of Australian wine

Across the board, this year’s Halliday Awards underscored the strength and diversity of Australia’s wine industry – from the Yarra Valley’s pinot powerhouses and McLaren Vale’s grenache stars to Margaret River’s cabernet sauvignon excellence and Tasmania’s sparkling triumphs.

Want more? Find out which winery took home the People’s Choice Award.