2026 Halliday People's Choice Award Top 10

The votes have been tallied and we're thrilled to announce the winner of the 2026 People's Choice Award is Brown Brothers. The King Valley winery scored highest across a number of criteria, including the cellar door experience, friendliness of staff and quality of the wines.

But while there can only be one winner, congratulations are also in order for the top 10. On this list are wineries big and small, from regions including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, Rutherglen and Great Western. 

Get to know the 2026 People's Choice Top 10 below. The rest of the 2026 Halliday Award winners – including Wine of the Year, Best Value Winery, Winemaker of the Year and more – will be announced at our Awards ceremony on August 20, 2025. 

1. Brown Brothers, King Valley

Brown Brothers in Milawa, in Victoria’s King Valley, offers an enormous range of wine experiences that go far beyond your usual cellar door tastings. Enjoy a long lunch or brunch at the Prosecco Lounge, treat yourself to a lavish picnic in the glamping tent, order the degustation with matched wines at its hatted restaurant, and join a whole assortment of tours and masterclasses around the property. Those seeking total luxury can even arrive by plane or pair their wine experiences with a hot air balloon ride.

Find out more | 239 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa, VIC 3678 | (03) 5720 5500

2. Down the Rabbit Hole, McLaren Vale

Down the Rabbit Hole is loved for its charming and relaxed cellar door and restaurant. Spend the day out on the lawns by the double-decker bus with a bottle of wine, a bunch of pizzas and antipasto platters to share. If you prefer something a bit more formal, but not stuffy, grab a table at its Italian restaurant, Fiore. If sunset sips and snacks are more your vibe, drop by on a Thursday for its weekly pizza and wine nights, or head over on Fridays for golden hour live music sets. 

Find out more | 233 Binney Road, McLaren Vale, SA 5171 | 0448 764 956

3. Brokenwood, Hunter Valley

Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley offers everything from standard cellar door tastings of its highly rated wines, either with or without special food pairings, to more in-depth winery experiences. Enjoy a meal at The Wood restaurant, which heroes local, seasonal produce, or go all-out with the Soil to Cellar Experience. The latter begins with oysters and a glass of Brokenwood Semillon, followed by a personalised tour of the property and a four-course lunch. A bottle of the renowned Graveyard Shiraz is also included, so you can take a bit of Brokenwood home with you. 

Find out more | 401–427 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin, NSW 2321 | (02) 4998 7559

4. Laughing Jack, Barossa Valley

Laughing Jack is a family-run winery who considers everyone who visits to be family – at least for the day. Taste wines and learn more about what's on offer in an intimate setting. It is only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am–4pm, and spaces are highly limited, so be sure to book well in advance. Laughing Jack is proof you don't need to have all the bells and whistles to create a top-notch winery experience.

Find out more | 194 Stonewell Road, Marananga, SA 5355 | (08) 8562 3878

5. Elderton, Barossa Valley

The Elderton Cellar Door is set within the grand 1918 classic gentleman’s bungalow which used to be the Ashmead family's home. It has since been updated to accommodate tastings and events, but it still maintains that homely feel. The cellar door is open daily, and offers a range of tasting experiences – from a casual wine tasting looking out over its 1894 Command Vineyard, to a hosted tasting in one of the private rooms. The Behind the Vines Tasting takes you to its three vineyards for a wine tasting and finishes with a winery tour, but its most unique offering is Taste, Set and Match. Start the afternoon with a private tasting before hitting the tennis courts for a friendly game paired with a cheese plate and wine. 

Find out more | 3–5 Tanunda Road, Nuriootpa, SA 5355 | (08) 8568 7878

6. Howard Park, Margaret River

Howard Park's cellar door offerings are brilliantly executed. Drop by the contemporary cellar door for a classic wine tasting paired with gourmet platters. Alternatively, treat yourself to a tasting flight comparing current vintages with museum releases. With more than 30 years of Howard Park back-vintages from both the Great Southern and Margaret River regions in the museum cellar, you can taste the evolution and development of their top wines all in one sitting.

Find out more | 543 Miamup Road, Cowaramup, WA 6284 | (08) 9756 5200

7. Château Tanunda, Barossa Valley

This is one of the most historically significant winery buildings in the Barossa Valley, built from bluestone quarried in the late 1880s and restored by the Geber family 120 years later. Here, enjoy a wine tasting, take a private tour of the cellars and vineyards, or join a croquet and wine experience. You can even spend the night in one of the two quaint guest houses. And, you don't even have to head to the Barossa to get a Château Tanunda wine experience. The Rocks in Sydney also hosts tastings of Château Tanunda wine for those who can't get to South Australia. 

Find out more | 9 Basedow Road, Tanunda, SA 5352 | (08) 8563 3888

8. Thicker Than Water, McLaren Vale

Enter Thicker Than Water's cellar door via ‘The Palate Cleanse’ – a tinted purple glass cube designed to give off a feeling of tranquillity. The stunning custom table delivers a more sociable and seamless experience for guests, and the tasting room's mood is controlled by the retractable perforated steel screens. Depending on the time of day, these screens project dappled light across the tasting room, reminiscent of being under water, or stay open to capture the gorgeous rolling valley views of McLaren Vale’s epicentre, the 'McMurtrie Mile’.  

Find out more | 86 McMurtrie Road, McLaren Vale, SA 5171 | (08) 7009 4425

9. Best's Wines, Great Western

The Best's Cellar Door, built in the 19th century, is the heart of the team’s operation. The old red-gum slab tasting room is housed in the original stables and showcases old winery equipment, maps of the area, and Henry Best’s original journal dating from 1866. Visitors can also take a self-guided tour of the original cellars, which were hand-dug in the 1870s, as well as view the original Nursery Block plantings – both of which represent a significant piece of Australian wine history. This laidback approach to hospitality paired with great wines makes for an excellent winery experience. 

Find out more | 111 Best's Road, Great Western, VIC 3377 | (03) 5356 2250 

10. Cofield Wines, Rutherglen

Just minutes from Rutherglen and Corowa, Cofield's cellar door offers a relaxed and welcoming space to explore the team's wines. Taste their classic range or try something a little different with one of the more unique experiences. The simple but much-loved Quartz Cafe dishes out affordable bites, and there's even a picnic pop-up for when the weather behaves. The lawns are a huge drawcard in summer, and the winery is also kid- and dog-friendly.

Find out more | Distillery Road, Wahgunyah, VIC 3687 | (02) 6033 3798 

The 2025 People's Choice Top 10 wineries were: Gibson Wines, Fermoy Estate, Elderton, Cofield Wines, Brokenwood, Milbrook Winery, Smallwater Estate, Best's Wines, HEAD Wines and Laughing Jack.

Preorder your copy of the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion today 

The 2026 edition of the seminal guide to Australian wine, the Halliday Wine Companion, will be released on August 21, 2025. Secure your copy today, or sign up to receive one as part of your Vintage Halliday membership.

Top image: Down the Rabbit Hole