Best Value Winery: Medhurst

2027 Best Value Winery 

Medhurst – Yarra Valley, Victoria 

There’s no question that former Southcorp boss Ross Wilson is a businessman. But when it comes to Medhurst, the winery he purchased in the Yarra Valley with his wife, Robyn, in the late ’90s, he’s not driven by numbers.

“Ross really believes that wine should be accessible to everybody… that people deserve to have access to high-quality wine at an affordable price,” says chief winemaker Rohan Smith.

“That doesn’t mean we’re trying to provide a cheap experience – there’s no expense spared in either the vineyard or the winery,” he adds. “For us, it’s just about making the best possible wine that we can, and then putting an affordable price on it.”

This is not a new philosophy – since inception, Medhurst has been synonymous with value, capturing market share in both the everyday and fine wine realms with ease. There’s also a focus on continuous improvement, and the wines climb new rungs of quality in the best vintages. The ’25 Estate and ’25 Reserve Syrah bottlings, better than they’ve ever been, were awarded 97 and 98 points respectively. The entire portfolio from the ’25 vintage is outstanding, with each wine receiving a gold medal. 

For Rohan, who took over from Simon Steele in late ’23, it starts in the vineyard. “We take extreme care with canopy and soil and everything that affects the grape,” he says.  

“Then, once the fruit comes into the winery, it’s just trying to shape it, based on the vintage and the conditions we’ve been given, into wines that are reflective of site and the environment in which they’ve been grown.” 

Of the 12 wines submitted for review in the 2027 edition of the Companion, all were awarded a special value rosette. On this alone, Medhurst deserves the accolade.  

With wines that are reliable, consistent and delicious, Medhurst is our Best Value Winery for the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion. 

Words by Katrina Butler and Anna Webster 

Previous Best Value Winery recipients include Hoddles Creek Estate (2015), West Cape Howe Wines (2016), Larry Cherubino Wines (2017), Grosset (2018), Provenance Wines (2019), Domaine Naturaliste (2020), Best’s Wines (2021), Lake Breeze Wines (2022), Deep Woods Estate (2023), Oakridge Wines (2024), Mulline (2025) and Bondar Wines (2026).

The 2027 Halliday Wine Companion is out now 

This is an edited extract from the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by Chantel De Latour.