The 2026 Shortlist

To recognise all the incredible finalists considered for this year’s Halliday Wine Companion Awards, we present the 2026 Shortlist.

Below, explore the best Australian wineries, winemakers and viticulturists, as nominated by the Halliday Tasting Team. The Tasting Team includes head taster Katrina Butler, plus Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. This collection of industry experts has spent the past year tasting over 8000 local wines, and each of them has travelled across the country to meet with local legends, emerging makers and community groups. 

The winners of each category will be revealed on Wednesday August 21, 2025, but for now you can explore this shortlist – getting to know why each of these finalists deserves to be in the running for our annual awards. The 2026 edition of the Companion will also be available from Thursday August 22, which is decked out with even more information about these finalists as well as details on over 945 wineries. Pre-order your copy here.