Representing Victoria, Tom Carson from Serrat in the Yarra Valley has taken out Viticulturist of the Year.
Last night, the highly anticipated 2023 Halliday Wine Companion Awards were hosted at the prominent Stokehouse restaurant in St Kilda, Melbourne by Halliday Wine Companion’s chief editor Tyson Stelzer in front of a crowd of 125 guests. The ceremony celebrated the best of the best, recognising the nation’s top wines, winemakers, viticulturists and wineries setting the industry benchmark for the Australian wine sphere.
This year’s winners have been carefully chosen from more than 8000 wines and over 50 new wineries, tasted blind for the first time ever by, Founder James Halliday AM, Chief Editor Tyson Stelzer, Jeni Port, Ned Goodwin MW, Erin Larkin, Jane Faulkner, Philip Rich and Dave Brookes.
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Regions taking home major awards include Margaret River, Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Great Western, and Adelaide Hills, with the varietal winners spanning five states: South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
“This year’s results are a wonderful testimony to the tremendous diversity of Australian wine at the top of its game. Our winners hail from the who’s who of large estates in famous regions and from small boutiques in remote outposts,” says Halliday Wine Companion chief editor, Tyson Stelzer.
“It’s exciting to see unexpected places and estates stepping forward with wines that have topped their classes. It is with immense pride that we introduce the winners of the Halliday Awards 2023, the most anticipated announcement on the Australian wine calendar.”
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Stealing the show, Riesling has arguably been deemed Australia’s best-value grape variety, with 33% earning the Companion’s Special Value rosette. Also, for the first time ever one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, Perth Hills took home a Varital Award, with their $50 bottle winning Shiraz of the Year.
So, if you’ve been looking for a new bottle or winery to visit, consider this your hit list:
2023 Major Award Winners
Winery of the Year – Pooley Wines, Tasmania
Winemaker of the Year – Glenn Goodall, Xanadu Wines, Margaret River, WA
Viticulturist of the Year – Tom Carson, Serrat, Yarra Valley, VIC
Best New Winery – Living Roots, Adelaide Hills, SA
Dark Horse Winery – L.A.S. Vino, Margaret River, WA
Best Value Winery – Deeps Woods Estate, Margaret River, WA
Wine of the Year – Best’s Wines Foudre Ferment Riesling 2021, Great Western – 96 points
2023 Varietal Award Winners
Sparkling White of the Year – Gilbert Family Wines Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay 2016 Orange – 97 points Sparkling Red of the Year – Teusner MC Sparkling Shiraz 2017 Barossa Valley – 95 points
Sparkling Rosé of the Year – Pipers Brook Vineyard Kreglinger Brut Rosé 2017 Tasmania – 96 points
Rosé of the Year – Spinifex Luxe 2021 Barossa – 93 points
Sauvignon Blanc of the Year – Flowstone Wines Queen of the Earth Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Margaret River – 96 points Other Whites (and Blends) of the Year – Briar Ridge Vineyard Albariño 2021 Hunter Valley – 95 points
Semillon of the Year – Brokenwood Sunshine Vineyard Semillon 2014 Hunter Valley – 97 points
Riesling of the Year (two winners) – Henschke Julius Riesling 2021 Eden Valley – 98 points
Best’s Wines Foudre Ferment Riesling 2021, Great Western – 96 points
Chardonnay of the Year – Stella Bella Wines Luminosa Chardonnay 2020 Margaret River – 98 points
Pinot Noir of the Year – Lowestoft La Maison Pinot Noir 2020 Tasmania – 96 points
Grenache (and Blends) of the Year – Chalk Hill Alpha Crucis Old Vine Grenache 2020 McLaren Vale – 98 points Other Reds (and Blends) of the Year – Koomilya Cabernet Touriga 2018 McLaren Vale – 97 points
Shiraz of the Year – Battles Wine Granitis Shiraz 2020 Perth Hills – 96 points
Cabernet Shiraz of the Year – Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The Peake Cabernet Shiraz 2020 McLaren Vale– 97 points Cabernet Sauvignon of the Year – Bleasdale Vineyards The Iron Duke Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Langhorne Creek – 98 points Cabernet Sauvignon (and Family) of the Year – Mount Mary Quintet 2020 Yarra Valley – 98 points
Sweet Wine of the Year – Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling 2019 Victoria – 95 points
Fortified Wine of the Year – Seppeltsfield 100-Year-Old Para Vintage Tawny 1922 Barossa Valley – 100 points
The Awards also mark the release of the wine-enthusiast’s bible, the 2023 Halliday Wine Companion, available in stores nationally from today. The book is a comprehensive guide to Australia’s leading wines, wineries, and grape growing regions, including all Award winners and tasting notes.
More than 5000 tasting notes are printed in the Companion, with more than 8000 tasting notes available online at winecompanion.com.au.
