50 great red wines

Top 50 Red Wines in Australia

Tomorrow we’ll drink better, brighter, wiser. That was the feeling I had as – shopping list in hand – I read through our 50 great reds selection this year. The truth is that everyone on the Halliday Tasting Team is a wine lover first and a wine reviewer second, and so we too are always on the lookout for the best, the brightest and the bargain-est. 

Value therefore is always at the top of our mind but then, of course, ultimate quality is the main goal. The great perk of genuine, well-researched wine enthusiasm is that regardless of budget, or setting, or crowd, or objective, you can expect to have every occasion covered, and to always drink brilliantly.

For lovers of Australian red wine then – outside of the annual Halliday Wine Companion book of course – this list is the best research you can get. Keep it close at hand. It’s chocked with great wine after great wine, as it always is, but on top of this the 2021 vintage was a ripper in many regions, and so the general standard at both the top and value end is higher than usual. Given what we’ve all been through over the past few years, 2021 is the vintage we had to have. It’s ably complemented by the vintages around it, but our general advice is, see 2021, buy 2021.

Separated by varietal – pinot noir, grenache and blends, shiraz/syrah and blends, cabernet sauvignon and blends, and other reds – and listed in no particular order, below are the 50 great reds for 2023.

Now let’s get started.

This article appears in issue #71 of Halliday magazine. Become a member to receive the print publication as well as digital access.