Photo: Frankie Restaurant, Mitolo Wines
Nobody knows wine like Halliday’s Wine Companion, and this year’s their top 20 red wines under $50 list has romped home the strength of the South Australian wine industry. It’s part of the coveted Top 100 Wines which have been revealed for 2025.
Taking out 12 of the 20 spots, the South Australian wines came from right across the state, including the Barossa, Clare, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, the Riverland, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra.
Mitolo Wines secured one of the top spots with their 2023 Cinquecento Sangiovese. Winemaker Luke Mallaby shared, “Such fantastic recognition for us and for McLaren Vale, where Sangiovese does so well. As a brand established and globally recognised for producing world class Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, to be commended for our Cinquecento Sangiovese is very rewarding. This past decade, we’ve been working hard on our Italian varietal wines. They’re a real passion piece for us, paying homage to Frank’s family heritage, and are received so well as they really align with trends in consumer preferences. We’re all drinking lighter styles, wines with more elegance, structural finesse, and balance. Less heft, more nuance. To be included in this category of Halliday’s Top 100 wines is a testament to this. Our Sangiovese is a beautifully balanced wine, marrying both the savoury, earthen and tightly wound structural elements of old world examples, with the highly fruit expressive and vibrant features that Australian Sangiovese is known for. We’re all big fans of it!”
South Australia’s Top Wines Under $50 for 2025
2023 Cirillo Wines The Vincent Grenache, Barossa Valley
94 points | $25 | Screw cap | 14% alc. | Drink to 2034 | Cirillo Wines profile | Winery website | @cirilloestatewines
2023 Coulter Wines C2 Sangiovese, Adelaide
95 points | $28 | Screw cap | 14% alc. | Drink to 2030 | Coulter Wines profile | Coulter Wines | @coulterwines
2023 Gertie Wines Cabernet Franc, Clare Valley
95 points | $35 | Screw cap | 13.6% alc. | Drink to 2032 | Gertie Wines profile | Winery website | @gertiewines
2023 JC’s Own Bluebird Grenache, Barossa
94 points | $34 | Cork | 13% alc. | Drink to 2034 | JC’s Own profile | Winery website | @jcsown
2023 Lake Breeze Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek
95 points | $28 | Screw cap | 14% alc. | Drink to 2033 | Lake Breeze Wines profile | Winery website | @lakebreezewines
2024 Ministry of Clouds Mencía, McLaren Vale
95 points | $38 | Screw cap | 13.5% alc. | Drink to 2032 | Ministry of Clouds profile | Winery website | @ministryofcloudswines
2023 Mitolo Wines Cinquecento Sangiovese, McLaren Vale
96 points | $42 | Diam | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2032 | Mitolo Wines profile | Winery website | @mitolowines
2024 Paralian Wines Springs Hill Vineyard Shiraz, McLaren Vale
97 points | $48 | Screw cap | 14% alc. | Drink to 2038 | Paralian Wines profile | Winery website | @paralianwines
2022 Protero Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills
95 points | $40 | Screw cap | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2040 | Protero profile | Winery website | @proterowine
2023 Ricca Terra Bullets Before Cannonballs, Riverland
95 points | $22 | Screw cap | 14.5% alc. | Drink to 2028 | Ricca Terra profile | Winery website | @Ricca_Terra_Farms
2023 Spinifex Papillon, Barossa Valley
95 points | $28 | Screwcap | 13% alc. | Drink to 2035 | Spinifex profile | Winery website | @spinifexwines
2023 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
95 points | $45 | Screw cap | 13.8% alc. | Drink to 2036 | Wynns Coonawarra Estate profile | Winery website | @wynnscoonawarra
For the full list, winery profiles, wine descriptions and more, head to winecompanion.com.
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