Last night, James Halliday AM, alongside host Jon Faine, announced the winners of the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
Throughout the past year, the tasting panel reviewed close to 10,000 Australian wines to uncover the six major award winners and the sixteen varietal winners.
Major award winners are:
- Wine of the Year: 2018 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, NSW
- Winery of the Year: Henschke, Barossa Valley, SA
- Winemaker of the Year: Brett Grocke (Eperosa Wine), Barossa Valley, SA
- Value Winery of the Year: Best’s Wines, Great Western, VIC
- Darkhorse Winery of the Year: Yarran Wines, Riverina, NSW
- New Winery of the Year: Varney Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
The highly anticipated 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, presented by Vintage Cellars, was broadcast online for the first time.
A celebration of Australian wine following a year plagued with fire, drought and virus, the awards showcased the resilience and strength of this proud industry.
The accessible move online, made to combat restrictions within the current climate, proved highly successful, with wine-loving viewers from across Australia and the globe tuning in to learn the deserving winemakers, wineries and wines honoured as the 2021 award recipients.
Streamed on the Halliday Wine Companion website, host Jon Faine joined Halliday Wine Companion’s James Halliday AM in announcing the awards through a 45-minute program.
James Halliday AM spoke at length about each award winner and detailed the time-intensive process that his tasting panel endures. Throughout the past year, the team reviewed close to 10,000 Australian wines, uncovering the six major award winners and sixteen varietal winners along the way.
The awards mark the release of the wine-enthusiast’s Bible, the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion, available in all good bookstores from today.
The book is a comprehensive guide to Australia’s leading wines, wineries, grape growing regions and includes all awards winners and over 4,000 tasting notes.
A full list of more than 9,000 tasting notes is available online at www.winecompanion.com now.
All wine varieties will be available at Vintage Cellars online and in-store nationally from Thursday, 6th August.
The best of the best, identified by James Halliday AM and the tasting panel, hail from regions far and wide, spanning from Western Australia to Tasmania.
This year’s major awards represent regions including; Barossa Valley (2), McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley, Greater Western and Riverina, and the varietal winners include; Tasmania, Western Victoria, Hunter Valley (3), Margaret River (3), Geelong (2), Yarra Valley (3) and Barossa Valley (2).
2021 AWARD WINNERS
Winery of the year – Henschke, Barossa Valley, SA
Winemaker of the year – Brett Grocke – Eperosa Wines, Barossa Valley, SA – Category sponsor Harvey Norman Wine of the year – Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 2018, Hunter Valley, NSW – Category sponsor Vintage Cellars Best New Winery – Varney Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
Dark Horse of the Year – Yarran Wines, Riverina, NSW
Best Value Winery of the Year – Best’s Wines, Great Western, VIC
2021 VARIETAL WINNERS
Riesling – 2019 Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling – 98 points
Chardonnay – 2017 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay – 99 points
Semillon – 2014 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon – 99 points
Sauvignon Blanc – 2018 Flowstone Queen of the Earth Sauvignon Blanc – 97 points
Other White Varieties and Blends – 2019 Stargazer Tupelo – 97 points
Sparkling – 2005 House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged – 99 points
Sweet – 2018 Lethbridge Bortytis Riesling TBA – 99 points
Rosé – 2019 Nocturne Carbunup SR Sangiovese Nebbiolo Rose – 96 points
Pinot Noir – 2017 Bannockburn Serre Pinot Noir – 99 points
Cabernet Sauvignon – 2016 Moss Wood Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon – 99 points
Cabernet Sauvignon and Family – 2018 Mount Mary Quinet – 99 points
Shiraz – 2018 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz – 99 points *Also Winner of the Wine of The Year Award Grenache and Blends – 2018 Brothers at War Single Vineyard Grenache – 99 points
Shiraz Viognier – 2019 Serrat Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier – 98 points
Other Red Varieties and Blends – Mayer Nebbiolo – 98 points
Fortified – 1920 Seppeltsfield 100-Year-Old Para Liqueur – 100 points
The 2021 Halliday Wine Companion features full tasting notes for 4,063 wines, as well as ratings, drink-to-dates and prices for a further 4,056 wines from 1,165 wineries (including 59 new operations).
The book provides an overview of the best of the best wines by variety, best wineries by region, varietal wine styles and regions, and a guide to food and wine pairing.
Published by Hardie Grant Books, the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion is now available nationwide at an RRP of $39.95 with information pertaining to the awards hosted on the Wine Companion website, winecompanion.com.
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