This award celebrates new wineries with newly established vines (seven years’ vine age or younger) or a new winery (no older than five years) making wines from established, owned or sourced fruit.
We are delighted to acknowledge the following new wineries and their contributions to the Australian wine landscape.
Decades
Region: Coal River Valley, Tasmania
Established: 2022
Winemaker: Steve Flamsteed
Viticulturist: Brad Rogers
Winery website: decadeswine.com.au
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “With just two wines in the range and two vintages out in the wild, Decades has scaled inconceivable heights and claimed rank as one of Tasmania’s most anticipated annual releases. It’s been a meteoric rise, but the hype is well deserved for the quality, industry experience, friendship and skill of its co-founders – winemaking royalty turned consultant-to-the-stars Steve Flamsteed and master brewer and Stone & Wood co-founder Brad Rogers.” – Katrina Butler
Fervor
Region: Great Southern, Western Australia
Established: 2021
Winemaker: Mike Garland
Viticulturist: Callum Garland
Winery website: fervorwines.com.au
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “The intent of Fervor is relational, to source fruit from the many growers and sites they’ve connected with along the way. We saw several submissions from Fervor for their Companion debut, and we were astonished by the clarity in the glass, transparency, and understanding of provenance.” – Katrina Butler
Foreign Friends
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
Established: 2023
Winemaker: Leila Davis
Viticulturist: Leila Davis
Winery website: foreignfriends.com.au
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “A label born in ’23 between sisters Crystal and Leila Davis and friend Juliette Menneteau. Beechworth-based Foreign Friends hasn’t landed with splashy PR – anything but – and this humility extends to the grassroots authenticity sewn into the wines, which are gently done, loosely knit and utterly, perfectly imperfect.” – Katrina Butler
L'Anima
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Established: 2024
Winemaker: Michael Williams
Winery website: lanima.wine
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “The ethos of L’Anima is to make wines from climate-appropriate varieties. Winemaker Michael Williams hopes this approach will help shed the term ‘alternative’ from the description of those grapes lesser-known or lesser acknowledged. For now, that looks like an extensive portfolio of table-ready, joy-evoking wines, including but not limited to sangiovese, fiano, aglianico, nero d’Avola, grenache and vermentino.” – Katrina Butler
S. Caica
Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Established: 2024
Winemaker: Simon Caica
Winery website: scaicawines.com
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “Simon Caica pivoted from a career in political science – a lifestyle he describes as “incredibly dull” – to wine, accruing experience as opportunities arose to access small parcels of fruit. Today, Simon works exclusively with growers in McLaren Vale, making wines with a call to action for immediate drinkability: alcohol reined in, flavour and refreshment dialled up. An extremely exciting addition." – Katrina Butler
Thunderstone
Region: Porongurup, Western Australia
Established: 2024
Winemaker: Tony Davis
Viticulturist: Redmond Sweeny
Winery website: thunderstonewine.com.au
Why they've been nominated for the 2027 Best New Winery of the Year award: “Thunderstone represents a brand-new era for the Snake + Herring founders, winemaker Tony Davis and wine farmer Redmond Sweeny. It’s underpinned by the belief that Porongurup should be respected and recognised for its unique, regionally defining features: granite soils, line, precision and intensity." – Katrina Butler
2027 People's Choice Award
Voting is now open for the 2027 Halliday People's Choice Award. While the Awards celebrate the best of the best in Australian wine, the People's Choice Award honours the best winery experience from around the country. Cast your vote and go into the running to win the ultimate prize pack valued at over $1000. Vote now.
2027 Taste the Awards event
Tickets are now on sale for 2027 Taste the Awards. Meet some of the winning winemakers and be the first to taste the top wines of the year. Taste the Awards 2027 is an exclusive showcase of award-winning wines and wineries from the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards. Secure your tickets below.Taste the Awards: Melbourne
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Panama Dining Room and Bar
Book here
The winner of each category will be announced at the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards on Wednesday August 19, 2026.
The 2027 Halliday Wine Companion – Australia's most comprehensive wine guide – will be available from August 20.
*This is an edited extract from the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by Chantel de Latour.
