Halliday Wine Companion is the leading authority on Australian wine. This year, the Halliday Tasting Team has reviewed over 7500 wines across more than 1100 wineries. The Shortlist celebrates the best of the best in Australian wine right now, with this year's nominees spanning Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
The Halliday Wine Companion Awards judging was conducted in March. Over two days, across a blind tasting, the winners were determined collaboratively by the full Halliday Tasting Team.
The Halliday Tasting Team includes founder James Halliday, chief editor Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale, and Toni Paterson MW.
The 2025 Companion sees over 60 new producers submit their wines for the first time, along with thousands of tasting notes and scores for wines reviewed throughout the year.
While the annual Halliday Wine Companion Awards recognise the best of the best from across Australia's wine industry, the Halliday Wine Companion People's Choice Award honours the best winery experience from around the country.
Wine lovers can cast their vote for the 2025 People's Choice Award on winecompanion.com.au. Nominations are based on criteria including standout cellar door experiences, outstanding restaurant offerings, friendly and knowledgeable staff, scenic views, and overall quality of wines. Submissions are open until 11.59pm on Wednesday July 24, 2024. Entrants will go in the running to win a prize pack valued at over $1200. The 2025 People's Choice Award winner will be announced on Saturday August 3, 2024.
The 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Awards ceremony will take place at Ormond Hall at The Commons Collective in Melbourne on Wednesday August 7. The event will also be broadcast via livestream at winecompanion.com.au.
Seven major trophies will be awarded on the night, including Wine of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Winery of the Year, Viticulturist of the Year, Best Value Winery, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery, together with the second inductee into the James Halliday Hall of Fame: Australian Wine Industry. The winners of 16 varietal categories will also be announced, including Sparkling of the Year, Shiraz of the Year, and Riesling of the Year, alongside White Wine of the Year and Red Wine of the Year.
The 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Awards will also celebrate James Halliday AM, who recently announced his retirement. There is no one who has given more to the Australian wine industry than James Halliday. We look forward to celebrating his remarkable career on the industry's night of nights.
The Halliday Wine Companion is the bestselling and definitive guide to Australian wine. The Companion has become a touchstone of the industry that helps readers drink the very best of Australian wine.
The 2025 Halliday Wine Companion is available to pre-order now and will be on sale from August 8, 2024.
