Western Australia
Domaine Naturaliste – Margaret River, WA
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Bruce Dukes is wholly talented, and while he makes high-quality acclaimed wines for his own estate – Domaine Naturaliste – he also does this for a raft of other, smaller producers in Margaret River and Geographe. His winemaking style is one of fresh, pure fruit over obvious or intrusive winemaking artifact, and the wines routinely possess a polish and eminent drinkability. Bruce holds both a degree in agronomy from the University of WA and a master's degree in viticulture and agronomy from the University of California (Davis) and has been in Margaret River since 2000. – Erin Larkin
5 ★ winery | domainenaturaliste.com.au | Halliday profile
Fraser Gallop Estate – Margaret River, WA
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From the age of 10, Ellin Tritt aspired to become a winemaker. In 2010, she completed a double degree in winemaking, viticulture and agribusiness, before completing local and international vintages in Canada, Provence, Alsace, and Napa Valley. After gaining this experience, Ellin knew she wanted to immerse herself in the Margaret River wine industry and joined the team at Fraser Gallop Estate in 2017. Says Ellin, "Fraser Gallop Estate, nestled in the heart of Wilyabrup, offers the pure joy of crafting truly distinctive wines that provide transparency between the vineyard and what we see in the glass. I’m incredibly excited about this region's future, particularly this estate.”
5 ★ winery | frasergallopestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Voyager Estate – Margaret River, WA
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Voyager Estate is located on Stevens Road in the Boodjidup Valley, which is emerging as hallowed ground (Leeuwin, the western neighbour, Xanadu’s Stevens Road vineyard and the vineyards of Voyager Estate complete the trinity of prestige in this neck of the woods). The estate was established in 1978 by viticulturist Peter Gherardi, and later purchased and expanded by Michael Wright in 1991. Michael’s daughter, Alexandra Burt, has been at the helm since 2005. As of 2023, the vineyard and winery are certified organic and there is extensive clonal and varietal experimentation in the estate vineyards. The grounds are well known for their immaculate year-round grooming, as is the lavish, high-ceiling tasting room, home to an award-winning restaurant. – Erin Larkin
5 ★ winery | voyagerestate.com.au | Halliday profile
South Australia
Beresford – McLaren Vale, SA
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Beresford Wines is a partnership with Vale Brewing Taphouse. As well as wine and beer tasting, it offers accommodation and a wedding venue. The estate’s 28ha are planted to shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and 60yo bush-vine grenache. Some of the wines offer excellent value. – James Halliday
4 ★ winery | beresfordestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Clarendon Hills – McLaren Vale, SA
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Established in 1989 by biochemist Roman Bratasiuk, Clarendon Hills' relentless devotion to highlighting single-vineyard, old-vine expressions of grenache, syrah and cabernet sauvignon from the ancient terroirs of Clarendon and Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale spans over 36 years and counting. Clarendon Hills manages approximately 40ha of estate-owned local vineyard across the respective regions that constitute many of the current wines in their modern portfolio. Plans for a new cellar door hope to be finalised in late 2025. Sons Alex and Adam have joined the business and operate within the sales and marketing and warehousing and logistics fields respectively. Current head winemaker is Naoto Saito, Roman’s long term winemaking protégé.
5 ★ winery | clarendonhills.com.au | Halliday profile
Dandelion Vineyards – McLaren Vale, SA
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Elena Brooks crafts full-bodied wines across South Australia’s premium regions: Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula. She endeavours to draw upon vineyards untempered by over-management, as much as she strives for a softer impact in the winery. As a result, Dandelion wines are increasingly bright, transparent and stamped by a more sensitive oak regime than in the past. Grenache, a strong suit. The Wonder Room, a wine bar and cellar door, opened in May 2023. – Ned Goodwin MW
5 ★ winery | dandelionvineyards.com.au | Halliday profile
Landaire at Padthaway Estate – Padthaway, SA
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David and Carolyn Brown have been major grapegrowers in Padthaway for two decades. Landaire evolved from a desire, after many years of growing grapes at their Glendon vineyard, to select small quantities of the best grapes to produce wines under their own label. It has proved a sure-fire recipe for success. The 1850s stables have since been converted into a cellar door, with accommodation available in the original 1901 shearers' quarters and 1947 cottage. In 2017 Carolyn and David purchased nearby Padthaway Estate. – James Halliday
4.5 ★ | padthawayestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Murray Street Vineyards – Barossa Valley, SA
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Murray Street Vineyards has established itself as a producer of exceptionally good wines, ranging from the top-tier Icon wines to the newly released Artisan range, launched in 2022. The 120ha of estate vines are located in the Barossa’s western ridge, in Greenock (80ha) where winemaker Ben Perkins grew up, and in Gomersal (40ha). – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | murraystreet.com.au | Halliday profile
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Sister’s Run is now part of the Brooks family empire, the highly experienced Elena Brooks making the wines. The Stiletto and Boot on the label are those of Elena, and the motto ‘The truth is in the vineyard, but the proof is in the glass’ is, one would guess, the work of marketer extraordinaire husband Zar Brooks. – James Halliday
4 ★ winery | sistersrun.com.au | Halliday profile
Tenafeate Creek Wines – Mount Lofty Ranges Zone, SA
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Larry Costa, a former hairdresser, started off making wines as a hobby during the '90s. During the late '90s, Larry was forced into an early retirement from hairdressing due to an eye illness and turned to winemaking on a more serious note. Larry’s son, Michael Costa, undertook and completed the Bachelor of Oenology at the University of Adelaide, with stints both in Italy and France to gain further knowledge in making wines. Tenafeate Creek Wines' first release was in 2002, when they made a shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese all sourced from One Tree Hill Vineyards. Today, Tenafeate Creek Wines produces over 20 different wine styles, but still retains that small batch, traditional, hands-on winemaking methodology.
5 ★ winery | tcw.com.au | Halliday profile
Tasmania
Clover Hill – Northern Tasmania
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Clover Hill was established by Taltarni with the sole purpose of making a premium sparkling wine. It has 23.9ha of vineyards (chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier) and its sparkling wine is excellent, combining finesse with power and length. In late 2024, Clover Hill and Taltarni were acquired by Fogarty Wine Group. – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | cloverhillwines.com.au | Halliday profile
Moores Hill Estate – Northern Tasmania
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Moores Hill Estate Vineyard consists of 5.6ha of pinot noir, riesling, pinot gris and chardonnay. The vines are located on a northeast-facing hillside, 5km from the Tamar River and 30km from Bass Strait. Moores Hill became Tasmania’s first 100% solar-powered winery in '17, the wines all made onsite. In '22, James and Constance took ownership from Julian Allport and Fiona Weller after moving from the Yarra Valley, where they honed their craft of making pinot noir and chardonnay. Their goal is to build on the existing sustainability ethos and improve the vineyard by implementing regenerative agricultural practices.
4.5 ★ winery | mooreshill.com.au | Halliday profile
Victoria
Lake Cooper Estate – Heathcote, VIC
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Lake Cooper Estate is a substantial venture in the Heathcote region, set on the side of Mount Camel Range with panoramic views of Lake Cooper, Greens Lake and the Corop township. There are plans for the construction of a 300t winery, cellar door, restaurant and accommodation, with a complete overhaul of winemaking practices by the highly experienced Paul Boulden and Richard Taylor. – James Halliday
4 ★ winery | lakecooper.com.au | Halliday profile
Levantine Hill Estate – Yarra Valley, VIC
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This is the most ambitious project in the Yarra Valley since the establishment of Domaine Chandon a quarter of a century ago. It is the venture of Lebanese-born Elias (Eli) Jreissati and wife Colleen. Levantine Hill has two vineyards, the larger and older established by Soo Son in 1995, and purchased by Levantine Hill in 2010, with 18ha of productive vines. The second vineyard fronts Hill Road with a little over 5ha of young vines. All the major varieties of the Yarra Valley are planted on one or other of the two vineyards, but the Soo Son vineyard is the more important from a business viewpoint. It has provided space for a cellar door, restaurant and winery designed by Fender Katsalidis. – James Halliday
levantinehill.com.au | Halliday profile
Pt. Leo Estate – Mornington Peninsula, VIC
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Upon arrival you are welcomed by the sight of spectacular art and architecture. A glimpse through the doorway reveals an incomparable vista of the ocean, the 50ac vineyard and outdoor Sculpture Park, housing over 70 large-scale sculptures set in perfectly manicured natural surrounds. Inside, the building offers a celebration of world-class food, wine and service. Award-winning restaurants Pt. Leo Restaurant and fine dining space Laura offer seasonal menus featuring local produce. The cellar door and Wine Terrace offer wine tastings and casual dining in a relaxed environment. Pt. Leo Estate is truly an art, food and wine destination.
4.5 ★ winery | ptleoestate.com.au | Halliday profile
Thousand Candles – Yarra Valley, VIC
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What is now called the Thousand Candles Vineyard was originally known as Killara Estate, which was planted in 1995. The property is a dramatic one, plunging from a height of several hundred metres above the Yarra River down to its flood plains. After an interesting launch of wines that had no variety/s specified on the labels (original winemaker Bill Downie said that he wished to be free to use whatever single or varietal blend best reflected the site and vintage), the vineyard is now producing superb pinot noirs and more than useful shiraz, an ex post facto salute to the vision of Bill. – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | thousandcandles.com.au | Halliday profile
Yarra Yering – Yarra Valley, VIC
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In Sep 2008, founder Bailey Carrodus died and in Apr 2009 Yarra Yering was on the market. It was Bailey Carrodus’ clear wish and expectation that any purchaser would continue to manage the vineyard and winery, and hence the wine style, in much the same way as he had done for the previous 40 years. Its acquisition by a small group of investment bankers fulfilled that wish. The low-yielding, unirrigated vineyards have always produced wines of extraordinary depth and intensity. Sarah Crowe was appointed winemaker after the 2013 vintage. She has made red wines of the highest imaginable quality right from the start, transitioning the range to screw caps. For good measure, she also introduced the Light Dry Red Pinot Shiraz in 2014, and was named Winemaker of the Year 2017. – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | yarrayering.com | Halliday profile
New South Wales
Centennial Vineyards – Southern Highlands, NSW
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Centennial Vineyards, jointly owned by wine professional John Large and investor Mark Dowling, covers 133ha of beautiful grazing land, with the vineyard planted to pinot noir (7.13ha), chardonnay (6.76ha), pinot gris (4.06ha) and smaller amounts of riesling, pinot meunier, albarino, tempranillo, grüner veltliner and gewurztraminer. Centennial purchased the 8.2ha Bridge Creek Vineyard in Orange to meet the challenge of the Southern Highlands’ capricious weather. – James Halliday
5 ★ winery | centennial.net.au | Halliday profile
Nugan Estate – Riverina, NSW
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Nugan Estate has been in the energetic hands of Matthew Nugan since his mother Michelle Nugan retired in ’13. Wines are made at the family’s Spanish-styled home base in Riverina, the design reflecting the family heritage (in '38, Alfredo and Annelise Nugan fled their home in Alcira, Spain and migrated to Australia). Fruit is sourced from Riverina, King Valley, Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale. – James Halliday
4 ★ winery | nuganestate.com.au | Halliday profile
RidgeView Wines – Hunter Valley, NSW
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RidgeView is an insider’s secret, brimming with a solid suite of wines and some exceptional aged releases and older cellar stock. The address also boasts the funkiest retro label in all of the Hunter Valley. In '20, RidgeView purchased a neighbouring property, Eagle’s Nest, planted to chardonnay, sangiovese, verdelho and shiraz. A new winery is slated for completion in ’23. This will complement the established restaurant and its holistic culture of wines, local produce and herbs, all grown at the estate. – Ned Goodwin MW
5 ★ winery | ridgeview.com.au | Halliday profile
