With Christmas fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about what we'll be drinking – and possibly gifting – on the day. Below, we've put together a selection of bottles that are ideal for the festive season.
Think fresh, delicious rosé for under $30 – perfect for pairing with your Christmas ham (or prawns and salads). Plus, there's some great value sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and semillon for under $30, too.
And if you haven't finished all your Christmas shopping, why not gift a special bottle? You can't go wrong with either of the whopping 98-point chardonnays below, a 95-point grenache (at just $34!) or 95-point red blend from Wrattonbully, or a classic Heathcote shiraz replete with "red plum, Aussie bush earthiness, spice and dusty cocoa".
There aren't many sleeps left, so get shopping!
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Top Christmas wines $30 and under
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MyattsField Vineyards
Rosé 2025
Swan Valley Perth HillsA blend of grenache, sangiovese, mourvèdre and gewürztraminer. This is a clever and cool blend. It works a treat, delivering a quietly complex pink wine of good character, in an understated way. Grippy texture, cool red cherry, touches of gin and tonic, green herbs and white pepper abound. It's dry, savoury and super refreshing. A big recommend. -
Harvey River Estate
Rosé 2023
Western AustraliaProduced from a curious and clever blend of shiraz, gewürztraminer and vermentino. Great to see such innovation with rosé. The sum of the parts is successful in that it delivers a crisp, dry, minerally, pink wine of light, tart cherry and raspberry fruit characters with a pleasing twist of sage and bay leaf herb notes. It's got great perfume and a wonderful chalky yet juicy texture, too. A coup. -
Printhie Wines
Mountain Range Sauvignon Blanc 2024
OrangeElderflower, grapefruit and guava. A hint of breakfast juice and tropical punch. Flavours deliver what is promised on the nose with a direct line of punchy acidity and a nice dry finish. A focused and great value Australian sauvignon blanc. -
Highland Heritage
Estate Generations Sauvignon Blanc 2024
OrangeFresh pineapple slices, yellow guava and lime cordial. A hint of green apple sorbet. Delightfully ripe and just sitting on the tropical spectrum, the acidity is well integrated to make for a fruity and elegant sip. A continuous line of crunchy fresh salinity, too. Good value. -
Highland Heritage
Chardonnay 2023
OrangeLemon curd, almond meal and warmed honey. The wine shows baked goods and a crumbly biscuit base that cuddles the yellow citrus fruit. Some crunch to the energetic acidity and a nice, clean white peach kick on the finish. Both modern day and traditional chardonnay drinkers will find something here. -
Latitude 32
Casuarina Semillon 2024
Hunter ValleyThere is no doubting the purity of the aroma, a hallmark of its hallowed origins. Sourced from the famed Casuarina vineyard, the wine is detailed and fragrant, with zesty citrus aromas. The palate is tight and pure, reminiscent of freshly juiced lemons. It's in a youthful state, but time in a bottle will aid in harmonising its elements.
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Top Christmas wines over $30
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Oakridge
864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay 2023
Yarra ValleyFrom the Funder & Diamond vineyard, planted in Wandin East in '90. The '22 is the reigning Halliday Wine of the Year and this is, as you'd suspect, a worthy successor. With its bouquet of white nectarine, pink grapefruit and traces of sea spray and piercing, perfectly structured palate, this is more tightly coiled, at this stage, than the 864 Henk Chardonnay. It may prove to be more long lived, too. Those who have both will have a ton of fun comparing them over the next decade or more. -
Oakridge
864 Henk Aqueduct Block Chardonnay 2023
Yarra ValleyFrom the highest section at Henk, around 260m. Whole-bunch pressed to 500L French puncheons (20% new), wild-yeast fermented, matured for 10 months on lees. With its pure and precise bouquet of perfectly ripened white peaches and pears, confit lemon and just a hint of pure acacia honey, this is unmistakably great from the first whiff. Beautifully balanced and structured, this flows effortlessly across the palate. Absolute top of the tops and destined to be long lived. -
Dream Bird
Basket Case Grenache 2023
GeographeFruit off a site in Donnybrook, fermented wild with 50% whole bunches and 50% whole berries, pressed off skins after three weeks and aged in used French puncheons for 15 months. It turns out a gorgeous, vibrant red hue; full of juicy raspberries, blood orange and rind, all laced with warm spices and red lollies. Lots of savoury inputs, too, with warm earth, twigs and cinnamon quills in the background. Medium bodied, lifted with a succulence thanks to the tangy acidity matched by plentiful textural/sandy tannins. Such a good wine and hard to resist drinking it now but this will develop more complexity in time. -
Briar Ridge Vineyard
Limited Release BDX 2023
Wrattonbully75/11/8/6% cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc/malbec/petit verdot. A nicely composed, youthful blend with an impressively even flow of flavour and excellent fruit density. Beautifully fragrant, with pure aromas of blackcurrant and freshly crushed leaves, creating an aura of freshness and class. The palate is supported by a cradle of papery tannins and has all the right proportions for successful ageing. -
M. Chapoutier Australia
Tournon Lady's Lane Vineyard Shiraz 2024
HeathcoteCertified organic, dry grown, hand picked, indigenous yeast fermentation in concrete tanks, maturation in French oak barriques (10% new). Hits its stride displaying a ripe expression of Heathcote shiraz that comes nicely balanced in fine tannins. Some smart winegrowing and making here, celebrating the region's dark fruits, red plum, Aussie bush earthiness, spice and dusty cocoa with a light thread of savoury black olive that sets the tastebuds a tingle.
Top image credit: Printhie Wines
Order your copy of the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion today
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