The 2026 Shortlist

To recognise all the incredible finalists considered for this year’s Halliday Wine Companion Awards, we present the 2026 Shortlist.

Below, you can explore the best Australian wineries, winemakers and viticulturists, as nominated by the Halliday Tasting Team. The Tasting Team includes Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. This collection of industry experts has spent the past year tasting over 8000 wines from 945 wineries across 60 Australian wine regions.

The winners of each category will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Wednesday August 20, 2025, but for now you can explore this shortlist and get to know why each of these finalists deserves to be in the running for our annual awards.

On Thursday August 21, you can also purchase the 2026 edition of the Companion, which acts as the definitive guide to Australian wine. Within the Companion, you will find more about these finalists as well as reviews on thousands of wines produced across the country.