Explore the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion top-rated wines
Over 7000 wines were tasted for this year’s Halliday Wine Companion. We painstakingly whittled this down to a shortlist of 165 wines to be tasted at our annual awards judging in March. Seventeen brackets were set before nine of the very best wine critics in Australia. They tasted blind, each wine masked to conceal its maker. The best of the best of these brackets were repoured to determine Red Wine of the Year, White Wine of the Year, and the prestigious award, Wine of the Year.
Find all the varietal winners here, plus lists of all the top-rated wines for each category. These lists work best as a quick reference though, for the tasting note and accompanying information found on each wine review is the best guide as to whether a wine is for you. Halliday members have access to all of this detailed information, helping them pick the right wine for them, no matter their preferred style, variety or price point.
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CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The best cabernet sauvignon in Australia for 2026
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CABERNET AND BLENDS
The best cabernet and blends in Australia for 2026
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SHIRAZ
The best shiraz in Australia for 2026
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GRENACHE
The best grenache in Australia for 2026
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OTHER REDS AND BLENDS
The best other reds and blends in Australia for 2026
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PINOT NOIR
The best pinot noir in Australia for 2026
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ROSE
The best rosé in Australia for 2026
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CHARDONNAY
The best chardonnay in Australia 2026
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OTHER WHITES AND BLENDS
The best other whites and blends in Australia 2026
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SEMILLON
The best semillon in Australia 2026
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RIESLING
The best riesling in Australia for 2026
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SAUVIGNON BLANC
The best sauvignon blanc in Australia 2026
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PINOT GRIGIO
The best pinot grigio in Australia 2026
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SPARKLING
The best sparkling wine in Australia for 2026
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FORTIFIED
The best fortified wines in Australia for 2026
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SWEET WINES
The best sweet wines in Australia for 2026