South Australia has claimed some of the top honours at the 2025 James Halliday Wine Companion Awards in Melbourne.
Hosted at Ormond House, the Awards ceremony featured a first look at the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion and revealed winners across seven major categories including Wine of the Year, Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Viticulturist of the Year, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery and Best Value Winery.
McLaren Vale’s Thistledown Wines took out the prestigious Wine of the Year for its 2024 Clarendon Grenache, while Bondar Wines was named Best Value Winery. The region also collected Shiraz of the Year, the title going to Koomilya Wines for its JC Block Shiraz 2022.
The Adelaide Hills was recognised, with Weaver’s Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2024 awarded Sauvignon Blanc of the Year.
Meanwhile, renowned winemaker Brian Croser received one of the highest accolades of the night, an induction into the Hall of Fame The innovator in the Australian wine industry for more than 40 years runs Tapanappa in Piccadilly Valley.
The Awards are among the most influential in Australia’s wine industry, setting benchmarks for quality and celebrating excellence across the country’s regions.
The wine-enthusiast’s bible, the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion, is now available in stores nationally and online at winecompanion.com.au.
