What it takes to make the Halliday Top 100 Wineries

The 2026 Halliday Top 100 Wineries list is made up of the crisply minted, at least relatively, and the long established. Venerable historic estates with progressive mindsets, regional and style pioneers at the very top of their game, fledglings already at full wing, and the iconoclasts, visionary makers that hold true to singular beliefs to enlarge and enhance our wine landscape.

It’s no easy feat collating a list of Australia’s finest producers and, while scores are of considerable importance, this list has not been built on any kind of algorithm. The Halliday Top 100 Wineries recognises and celebrates the very best producers of Australian wine right now.

To be selected, Halliday must have reviewed each producer's wines within the last 12 months. This list was whittled down to 150 shortlisted wineries. Then, it came down to quality – quality had to be consistent across the range.

The Yarra Valley's Mount Mary is number one on the 2026 Halliday Top 100 Wineries list. 

One hundred wineries sounds like a lot, but this list is all killer, as they say. It’s a true representation of Australian wine right now, and a list you can hedge your purchasing bets on with emphatic confidence.

There are many more that mount robust cases for inclusion. That some top 5-star wineries missed out says a lot about just how deeply the quality of Australian wine runs – indeed, we must acknowledge the many important producers missing from this list, who either didn't submit wines for review (we're looking at you, By Farr), or who are, more likely, just barely out of frame.

Tyrrell's ranked second on the 2026 Top 100 Wineries list.

Of the names that made the list, some glitter with conspicuous success and some have taken a quieter route. Each maker is marked by that extremely high-quality bar, but each excels just as thrillingly in the individuality of their wines, and always with the deepest integrity to reflect place and grape through best-practice farming and deft making.

The Top 100 all put the same care into everything they make, from affordable everyday wines to their flagships. They make passionate, heartfelt wines. And it matters to them that people engage with their wines, that they take joy from them. These makers are the best of the best. They are names that resonate with excellence.