Photo: Fraser McKinley, Sami-Odi. Credit Halliday Wine Companion Awards
Overnight, the prestigious Halliday Wine Companion Awards were announced. South Australian has been dominating many of the recent wine awards, but this year Victorian wineries took a majority of the titles. Wine of the Year went to Oakridge 864 Drive Block Funder & Diamond Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 – Yarra Valley, Victoria, Winery of the Year was awarded to Giant Steps – Yarra Valley, Victoria, and Liz Silkman fro First Creek Wines and Silkman Wines, Hunter Valley NSW, was named Winemaker of the Year.
South Australia still made a notable appearance among the prestigious award recipients at this year’s Halliday Wine Companion Awards, thanks to Barossa Valley’s Sami-Odi winery. Sami-Odi stood out by securing the title of 2025 Best New Winery.
The award, dedicated to outstanding new entrants in the Halliday Wine Companion, a prominent resource for Australian wine critiques, highlighted Sami-Odi for its exceptional approach to winemaking. Campbell Mattinson, speaking on behalf of Halliday’s awards, praised the winery’s philosophy and operations, saying, “Heart and soul. Absolute heart and soul. What Fraser McKinley has done with old-vine Barossa shiraz/syrah over the past (nearly) 20 years is remarkable, and it’s important.”
Sami-Odi’s focus remains on syrah, driven by a profound connection to their specific vineyard source rather than the grape itself. Founder Fraser McKinley shared, “If the Dallwitz vineyard had been planted to trebbiano, I would be making trebbiano. That’s not a joke.” This emphasis on terroir over varietal led McKinley to produce acclaimed wines, with all six submitted to the 2025 Companion scoring between 95 and 98 points.
The journey of Sami-Odi began as a small side project while working at Torbreck, with McKinley leasing a section of the Dallwitz vineyard owned by the Hoffmann family. It has since grown into a sustaining family business producing highly sought-after wines. Annually, three unique wines are released including the Hoffmann Dallwitz Syrah, the multi-vintage Little Wine, and since 2020, the Our Hill Syrah.
In addition to Sami-Odi’s accolade, another South Australian winery, Gibson Wines of Barossa Valley, scooped up the 2025 People’s Choice Award. This nod from wine enthusiasts celebrates exceptional winery experiences across Australia, an accolade particularly significant as it is voted by the public. Rob Gibson, founder and chief winaker at Gibson Wines, commented on the award, “It reflects a grass-roots love of what we do at Gibson.”
The awards also highlighted the thriving Australian grenache market, with SA’s Thistledown Wines securing the 2025 Grenache and Blends of the Year for its This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2023, scoring 98 points. The 2025 Other Whites and Blends of the Year category was equally competitive, with MMAD Vineyard’s Blewitt Springs Chenin Blanc 2022 from McLaren Vale taking home the honour with another 98-point score.
South Australia’s other major award 2025 Riesling of the Year, went to Reislingfreak. The winery, which just opened their gorgeous new cellar door, won the category for their Rieslingfreak No.12 Riesling 2023 which received 98 points and retails for $37.
This year’s event showcased the broad and diverse excellence of the Australian wine industry across various regions and varietals. From riesling to grenache, the offerings underline the dynamic and evolving landscape of Australian viticulture.
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