2026 Halliday Top 100 Wineries: 1–25

The 2026 Halliday Top 100 Wineries celebrates the best producers in Australia right now.

Whittling down more than 400 five-star wineries to 100 of the nation’s best is one of the most difficult tasks of our year. It takes thought, care, detail and more than a degree of anxiety.

The Top 100 was never intended to be a pursuit of algorithmic glory – rather a dynamic, constantly evolving snapshot of the best producers we see each year, compiled with heart, but with the merits of the wines the final tool of determination.

In the top spot this year is preeminent Yarra Valley winery Mount Mary. With two 99-point scores and the title of Wine of the Year, it couldn’t be anyone else.

Hunter stalwart Tyrrell’s is the 2026 runner-up, for the consistently high quality we see in its wines this year and every year, as well as for the advocacy of fourth-generation Bruce Tyrrell (the newest inductee into the James Halliday Hall of Fame).

A slew of heavy hitters follows, including Victorian icons Yarra Yering, Giaconda, Giant Steps, Oakridge, Bass Phillip, Bindi, Wantirna Estate, Yeringberg and Gembrook Hill, Tasmanian leading lights House of Arras and Tolpuddle, South Australian stars Standish, Sami-Odi, Yangarra, Koomilya and S.C.Pannell, Thistledown, Yalumba and Henschke, Hunter Valley luminaries Brokenwood and Mount Pleasant, and beacons of the West, Vasse Felix and Cullen.

Find the full list of wineries ranked from 1 to 25 from across Australia below.

View the Top 100 Wineries: 26–50

View the Top 100 Wineries: 51–75

View the Top 100 Wineries: 76–100

Jump to:

1. Mount Mary | 2. Tyrrell's | 3. Yarra Yering | 4. Giaconda | 5. House of Arras | 6. Brokenwood | 7. The Standish Wine Company | 8. Giant Steps | 9. Sami-Odi | 10. Tolpuddle Vineyard | 11. Yangarra Estate Vineyard | 12. Oakridge | 13. Koomilya | 14. Cullen Wines | 15. Vasse Felix | 16. Bass Phillip | 17. Bindi Wines | 18. S.C.Pannell | 19. Thistledown Wines | 20. Yalumba | 21. Wantirna Estate | 22. Mount Pleasant | 23. Yeringberg | 24. Henschke | 25. Gembrook Hill

 

1. Mount Mary

Yarra Valley, Victoria

One of the foremost pioneers of the Yarra Valley, Mount Mary began making wine after almost 50 years without viticultural activity in the region. From the outset, Dr John Middleton pursued wines of rare finesse and purity, with an almost obsessive attention to detail. Sam Middleton, his grandson, assumed the winemaking mantle in ’11, carrying that philosophy forward while progressing a detailed vine-improvement program and moving towards sustainable organic viticulture. The ’21 JWDM Cabernet, made from the original cabernet block planted in 1972, is only the second release after 2015 and scored 99 points. Philip Rich calls it “an utterly brilliant wine”, its old-vine complexity and fine tannins giving it the structure to look good 20 years from now. The ’24 Quintet received 98 points, a bona fide icon in its own right, with Philip noting that it “has an intensity on the palate that's in perfect harmony with the wine's firm yet svelte, long-chained tannins”. But it was the 2024 Triolet that delivered the coup de grâce this year. Not only was it named Wine of the Year at the 2027 Halliday Awards, it made Mount Mary the only winery in this reviewing cycle to receive two 99-point scores. After more than 50 years, Mount Mary remains resolute. There could only be one winery at the top. It had to be Mount Mary. – KB

5 ★ winery | Mount Mary profile | Winery website | @mountmaryvineyard