Best New Winery: Sami-Odi

2025 Best New Winery

Sami-Odi – Barossa Valley, South Australia

Fraser McKinley's Sami-Odi has been named the 2025 Halliday Best New Winery. This award recognises the best of the wineries that are new to Halliday Wine Companion.

Fraser McKinley of Sami-Odi in the winery Fraser McKinley established Sami-Odi in 2006.

What Fraser McKinley has done with old‑vine Barossa shiraz over the past (nearly) 20 years is remarkable, yes, but it’s also more than that. It’s important.

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, yes, but it’s also more than that. It’s important. He’s paid due respect to the land and to the vines – and to the custodians of each – and bottled that respect in a pure, powerful, righteous manner.

There are only ever small quantities produced of each wine and, rightfully, there’s always a long waiting list of potential buyers; if there’s one thing Australian wine enthusiasts are good at, it’s recognising the real deal when they see it. In more recent years Fraser and wife Andrea have added a home vineyard to their arsenal, adding to the interest, adding to the world.

Sami-Odi is Australian wine, face-forward and true. It’s not a new winery but this is the first time it’s appeared across Halliday Wine Companion; its victory here wasn’t just deserved, it was inevitable. Six wines reviewed, all scored at 95 points or above, two of these at 98 points. – Campbell Mattinson

Fraser McKinley of Sami-Odi in the vineyard Sami-Odi submitted six wines to the 2025 Companion, they all scored 95 or 98 points.

Fraser McKinley works exclusively with syrah, but he says it's a personal connection rather than a varietal one. “If the Dallwitz vineyard had been planted to trebbiano, I would be making trebbiano. That’s not a joke." The Dallwitz vineyard is owned by the Hoffman family, who Fraser connected with during his time at Torbreck.

Sami-Odi began as a side project. Fraser was working full time when he leased a "football-field sized section" of the vineyard and produced three barrels of syrah. “It started off as a hobby, a fun, fantastic educational project. Not much has changed really, except now it supports our family.”

Three Sami-Odi wines are released each year: the Hoffmann Dallwitz Syrah; a multi-vintage blend called Little Wine; and, since 2020, the Our Hill Syrah. The first two are still made with fruit from the Hoffman's Dallwitz vineyard at Ebenezer, and the Our Hill is made from the Angaston vineyard, which was planted by Fraser and his wife Andrea. The duo planted the the vineyard in 2016 with cuttings propagated from some of the Barossa’s best growers.

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Previous Best New Winery recipients include Rob Dolan Wines (2014), Flowstone (2015), Bicknell fc (2016), Bondar Wines (2017), Dappled Wines (2018), Mewstone Wines (2019), Shy Susan (2020), Varney Wines (2021), Place of Changing Winds (2022), Living Roots (2023) and Joshua Cooper Wines (2024).

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The 2025 Halliday Wine Companion is available now. Secure your copy of Australia's most comprehensive wine guide at all good bookstores.

This is an edited extract from the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by James Halliday, Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by Vera Babida.

Image credits: Sami-Odi, Bri Hammond, Wine Australia.