The inaugural Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries selected by Campbell Mattinson is a celebration of the best wineries of right now. Below is the list of wineries ranked from 76 to 100 from across Australia.
"In short, this is a list of producers who know, in their heart and in their head, that consumers don’t owe them a living. This is a list of producers who are prepared to stake their reputation on every single wine they release." – chief editor Campbell Mattinson
View the Top 100 Wineries: 1–25
View the Top 100 Wineries: 26–50
View the Top 100 Wineries: 51–75
Wantirna Estate | Eastern Peake | Juniper | Spinifex | HEAD Wines | Traviarti | The Story Wines | Stefano Lubiana | Alkina Wine Estate | Scotchmans Hill | Seppeltsfield | Best's Wines | Swinney | Mount Langi Ghiran | Parker Coonawarra Estate | Thomas Wines | Dalwhinnie | Paul Osicka | Ricca Terra | Sailor Seeks Horse | Nick O’Leary Wines | Rochford Wines | Two Hands Wines | MMAD Vineyard | Mordrelle Wines
76. Wantirna Estate
Yarra Valley, VictoriaProduction doesn’t come much tinier than this. Wantirna Estate is an outlier of the Yarra Valley in geographical terms but, even so, Maryann Egan’s wines could easily be described as the heart and soul of the region. The annual offering here is a chardonnay, a pinot noir, a cabernet-merlot and a cabernet franc-merlot – and sometimes only a barrel or two of each. But every year these wines feel so cool and calm that you can’t help but want to collect them.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Wantirna Estate
77. Eastern Peake
Ballarat, VictoriaWhen Owen Latta was 15 years old his winemaker dad tripped on a winery hose and couldn’t continue with vintage. Owen, before and after school, stepped in to the breach, and – incredibly – started making the estate’s wines. At 15! That was over 20 years ago now but the Eastern Peake story remains remarkable, now courtesy of the sheer quality of wine in the glass. This estate, near Ballarat, north-west of Melbourne, produces tense, characterful chardonnay and pinot noir of outstanding quality.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Eastern Peake
78. Juniper
Margaret River, Western Australia
Mark Messenger has been the winemaker at Juniper for the past 25 years. He recently – on his own terms – stepped away from the business and he did so in the best of ways: with the entire wine range in fantastic shape. You get everything you’d expect of one of Margaret River’s best: classic chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and malbec – but you also get tempranillo and other fresh-faced blends, all to a high standard, all exacting.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Juniper
79. Spinifex
Barossa Valley, South AustraliaThe Barossa Valley has many different strengths and, of course, scores of fine producers but few, if any, have been more important than Spinifex over the past 20 years. The wines here are both bold and true to their origin but most importantly they bring an extra degree of earthen complexity to the table, along with sweet spice notes, along oftentimes with overt floral overtones. This is the modern Barossa, made true, made well.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Spinifex
80. HEAD Wines
Barossa Valley, South AustraliaAlex Head’s wines are a celebration of the Barossa Valley, and of Barossa Valley red wine in particular. The wines are modern, intense, complex and more, with offerings up and down the price scale to suit most budgets. It’s a compelling portfolio; if you’re unfamiliar, Head’s Old Vine Grenache 2022 would be the perfect entree.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | HEAD Wines
81. Traviarti
Beechworth, VictoriaThere’s something special unfolding here. There are other wines in the stable and they all live up to the Top 100 brief, in that they’re all reliably good, and worth buying. But the nebbiolo. The nebbiolo. We’re really reaching for the heights here. Does Traviarti makes Australia’s best nebbiolo? Most likely yes.
82. The Story Wines
Grampians, VictoriaRory Lane, the man behind The Story, never sells a vineyard down the drain, in the glass. By that I mean that every wine he produces is not only tasty and interesting but is never overdone, or over-oaked, or out of whack. His wines are authentic, respectful and true. He sources and grows grapes from various Victorian regions, most commonly from the Grampians and Henty, and nearly 20 years into the story of this label every release still feels like a gem.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | The Story Wines
83. Stefano Lubiana
Southern Tasmania, TasmaniaJust when you thought the wines of Tasmanian bio-dynamic producer Stefano Lubiana couldn’t get any better, the next generation – Marco – stepped in and helped elevate matters. Stefano Lubiana is a special, intense, hardworking, driven producer of delicious, thoughtful, impressive wines.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Stefano Lubiana
84. Alkina Wine Estate
Barossa Valley, South AustraliaThere’s a gorgeous little town in the Barossa Valley called Greenock Creek, and nearby to this town is one of the most intriguing wineries in Australia at present: Alkina. We’re looking at grenache of the highest order here, graded specifically to site and more importantly to soil composition. Stay tuned. The bud of this new force in Barossan wine has only just started to open.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Alkina Wine Estate
85. Scotchmans Hill
Geelong, VictoriaThis winery in the Geelong region has been thereabouts in quality terms for several decades but in recent years – following significant investment in its vineyards – there’s been an absolute and fundamental resurgence. This winery is now squarely on the quality map. No less than eight wines in the most recent Companion scored 95 points or higher across chardonnay, shiraz and pinot noir. That’s impressive.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Scotchmans Hill
86. Seppeltsfield
Barossa Valley, South AustraliaWhen you’ve got Fiona Donald at the winemaking helm you’re always going to end up with top-grade wine, especially in combination with the depth of vineyard and associated assets available at this most historic and storied of wineries. If you’re looking for real, bodied, characterful reds you’ll find fine examples here, though the table wine examples of varieties previously used only for fortified wines are exciting in their own right. Lording over all this is, of course, the estate’s magnificent fortified wines, which are beyond compare.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Seppeltsfield
87. Best’s Wines
Great Western, VictoriaThe ace in the pack here is the Old Vine Meunier, which is grown on vines that were planted in 1868. It’s unique, it’s unable to be replicated, it’s special to both Australia and to the world. It’s also fresh, lacy, mouthwatering and delicious, in its own way, which doesn’t hurt either. When you have such a wine in your stable you have a fair head start on the competition, though of course the various levels of shiraz here are special in themselves, while the Foudre Ferment Riesling offers a whole other perspective.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Best’s Wines
88. Swinney
Frankland River, Western AustraliaThe wines coming out of Swinney in the Frankland River region of Western Australia are remarkable. We’re talking true excitement here. Grenache, mourvèdre and syrah/shiraz made in ripe-but savoury style, in general terms, though it’s the layers of rusty-earthen-minerally flavour, the difference, and the finesse of the tannin here that really elevates the pulse.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Swinney
89. Mount Langi Ghiran
Grampians, VictoriaWhat I love about Mount Langi Ghiran is that you can drink both up and down, so to speak, the price list and still drink good, characterful wine, or better, every step of the way. The star is overwhelmingly shiraz, served spicy and distinctive, though cabernet and riesling also have their moments. But any range with Cliff Edge Shiraz ($35), Billi Billi Shiraz ($20), both of which are currently very good, as well as some seriously good shiraz wines at the top end, absolutely deserves a place in this Top 100 list.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Mount Langi Ghiran
90. Parker Coonawarra Estate
Coonawarra, South AustraliaThese wines are rock solid. They deliver intense levels of fruit, oak and tannin, and they do so in commanding style. We’re talking Coonawarra red wines here, for the most part, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot, shiraz and merlot. What really rockets this producer onto this list though is the inherent ageability of the lead wines. These wines are so firm, and so rich, that they have decades of goodness ahead of them.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Parker Coonawarra Estate
91. Thomas Wines
Hunter Valley, New South WalesThomas is a significant producer from a significant region. It does the Hunter Valley classics – shiraz and semillon – as well as anyone. It reaches for the stars but never ignores value and, where appropriate, it pushes the style envelope in search of the possible. The white wines show delicacy, the red wines are bold. This is a producer who knows when to hold and knows when to fold.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Thomas Wines
92. Dalwhinnie
Pyrenees, VictoriaFor some years now Dalwhinnie has been the sleeping beauty of Australian wine. No longer. The grapes here are grown on the most stunning of sites; it’s one of the few vineyards that every Australian wine lover should visit at least once. A recent change in ownership and winemaking has seen these Pyrenees wines roar back into elite contention. Welcome back, Dalwhinnie.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Dalwhinnie
93. Paul Osicka
Heathcote, VictoriaIn an out-of-the-way lane in a hard-to-find area of the Heathcote region in central Victoria there’s a winemaker named Simon Osicka, son of Paul, and he’s one of the gems of the Australian wine industry, and it shows in the wines he grows and makes. This estate is the real deal, historic and modern at once, humble and bold, characterful and classic. We’re talking red wines, mostly, bold and true. If you’ve not heard of this producer – you’re welcome.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Paul Osicka
94. Ricca Terra
Riverland, South AustraliaIf you’re looking for something different, and interesting, look no further. This winery is one of the first wineries that I would recommend. It is because every wine in the (well-priced) range here makes you stop and think and appreciate it for its charm, its alternative flavour profile, its confident drinkability. This here is a champion of alternative varieties.
4 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Ricca Terra
95. Sailor Seeks Horse
Southern Tasmania, TasmaniaIt’s all about the highs. When Sailor Seeks Horse gets it right the highs are seriously high, and that’s why they’re on this list. Sailor Seeks Horse Huldufólk Chardonnay 2021 was one of my favourite wines of the past year, and the corresponding pinot noir was essentially its equal. These wines are grown in the cool/cold Huon Valley in Tasmania. Total production across the whole range is only 1000 dozen. The wines of Sailor Seeks Horse cannot be consumed accidentally; you have to want them to find them (and you should).
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Sailor Seeks Horse
96. Nick O’Leary Wines
Canberra District, New South WalesWhite Rocks Riesling 2022, Bolaro Shiraz 2021, both from the Canberra District, both the perfect entree into the world of Nick O’Leary wines, where consistent, reliable, rolled gold quality is maintained year in, year out. There’s savouriness here, there’s fruit, there’s florals and there’s x-factor.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Nick O’Leary Wines
97. Rochford Wines
Yarra Valley, VictoriaThere was a time when Rochford was best known for its Yarra Valley concert and events space. It’s still known for that but the excellence of its chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon has swung the focus thoroughly to the quality of the wines, which every year in recent times have reinforced the fact that, from a wine quality perspective, this producer is the real deal.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Rochford Wines
98. Two Hands Wines
Barossa Valley, South AustraliaTen wines in the latest Companion with a score of 95 or higher. Excellent red wines from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley, Heathcote, the Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills. If you love Australian red wine, and especially full-bodied examples of it, Two Hands is one the happiest of hunting grounds, and at a very good range of price points too.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Two Hands Wines
99. MMAD Vineyard
McLaren Vale, South AustraliaMMAD is new but the vineyard is not. This Blewitt Springs vineyard (McLaren Vale) was first planted in 1939 (grenache) with shiraz added in 1941 and then chenin blanc in the 1960s. There’s only been one release (of each wine) so far but there are no tentative first steps in sight; every wine comes fully realised, as a gleaming gem in its own right. If you see the name MMAD on a wine bottle, proceed with confidence, it’s good. That’s why MMAD is here.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | MMAD Vineyard
100. Mordrelle Wines
Adelaide Hills, South AustraliaMordrelle was one of the standout producers of the current Companion, most notably for its Langhorne Creek wines but also for the wines of its home base at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. Langhorne Creek malbec (and blends thereof) are an absolute specialty here, with four malbec-based wines scoring 96 points or higher, though basket pressed tempranillo, shiraz, barbera and cabernet sauvignon also scored highly.
5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Mordrelle Wines
Join us at the Top 100 Wineries tasting events in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne next month. Don't miss your chance to taste wines from some of the nation's best producers.
Event details
Brisbane
Wednesday November 15Cloudland | 641 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley QLD
Buy tickets
Sydney
Wednesday November 22The Hammond Room, Kimpton Margot Sydney | 339 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW
Buy tickets
Melbourne
Wednesday November 29Panama Dining Room | Level 2/231 Smith Street, Fitzroy VIC
Buy tickets
