Campbell Mattinson says of Australian wineries, "We are fortunate that our best producers continue to be so relentless in their drive to be, every year, that little bit better." That relentless drive is particularly evident in these two wineries shortlisted for 2025 Winery of the Year: Alkina Wine Estate and House of Arras.
We spoke to the two wineries about what they love about their region, what guests can expect at their cellar door and how they feel about being shortlisted.
Get to know the wineries below.
Alkina Wine Estate
Winemaker and managing director Amelia Nolan says: Alkina is a new story on an old place. Alkina was established in 2015 when Argentinian vintner Alejandro Bulgheroni purchased a 60-hectare farm near Greenock in the Barossa Valley. The farm is on the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri people and Alkina is an Indigenous Australian girl’s name meaning ‘moon’ or ‘moonlight’. This name embodies our respect for the land and the many forces of nature that we work with to bring life, energy and authenticity to our wines.
With 70-year-old vines and 170-year-old stone buildings in need of repair, I was tasked with bringing new life into the old bones of the farm. With the guidance of acclaimed winemaker Alberto Antonini, terroir expert Pedro Parra and a strong local team, Alkina is now a magical place with terroir winegrowing and regenerative farming at its heart. We have 43 hectares of certified organic and biodynamic vineyard with plantings of shiraz, grenache, mataro and semillon dating back to the 1950s. Our ‘Polygon Project’, launched in 2020, has taken the complex story of ancient Barossa soils and micro-terroir mapping and investigation to fine wine lovers across the globe.
Everything we do in the winery is designed to protect the integrity of the fruit and the source block or polygon. Winemaking is pared back so that the imprint of the winemaker is barely perceptible, and we avoid what we think are the six enemies of terroir wine: over-ripening, over-extraction, invasive oak, synthetic chemicals, the winemaker’s ego and market-led winemaking. This is our route to making wine that is as faithful to the terroir as possible.
H. What do you love about making wine in the Barossa Valley?
AN. The Barossa Valley has such a rich grape growing and winemaking history that is guarded and perpetuated by a wonderful community of thoughtful custodians. We have undertaken a very detailed study of the soil and rocks in our vineyard and the impact this has on our fruit and wines and the geological diversity of our patch is mind-boggling. The situation would be similar across the valley, from the schist-strewn Western Ridge where we are, through to the granitic hills of High Eden. It’s a wonderfully diverse place to grow grapes.
H. What can guests expect from a visit to your cellar door?
AN. Our tasting room, in a stone barn dating from the 1850s, is the beating heart of the Alkina village. The collection of beautifully restored buildings is amongst the vines and bordered on one side by Greenock Creek. It all adds up to a truly immersive experience, which could end up in a soil pit with a rock hammer, in the winery amongst concrete tulips or eggs, or tasting and eating next to the fire in our ‘Ferronerie’. We love texture and savouriness in our wines, which makes them the perfect foil for good food. Our wines are available to taste in our structured flights, accompanied by cheese and charcuterie.
H. How does it feel to be shortlisted for the 2025 Winery of the Year award?
AN. We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for Winery of the Year. We are thrilled to have been recognised for the work that has been undertaken on the farm so far, and for the results in the glass. When we opened our doors in October 2020 we had no idea that just over three and a half years later we would be in the conversation for this award. In a way, it’s a vote for the staggeringly ancient and unique Australian soils that we are lucky enough to work with…and for our team’s ability to tease out character and detail while taking the drinker on a distinctive voyage of discovery.
Wine to try
2022 Alkina Polygon No. 5 Grenache
A deep and thoughtful wine that is both fresh and expressive. The nose is complex, displaying red fruit, amaro hints and forest floor notes with rose highlights. The palate is awash with ripe cranberry and pomegranate, the tannins structured yet energetic. A seamless wine with amazing ageing potential. Polygon No. 5 consists of two very similar nearby parcels of old grenache bush vines, making up 0.37 hectares in size. Working with terroir specialist Pedro Parra we identified this polygon to be uniquely significant because of its heavily fractured schist composition, with iron-rich clay in the fractures.Best enjoyed: This wine pairs well with duck confit with slow-braised puy lentils. Serve at 15°C.
RRP $295 | Drink to 2034+ | alkinawine.com | Shop this wine
House of Arras
Winemaker Ed Carr says: We are a specialist sparkling wine producer based in the cool-climate region of Tasmania. We started House of Arras in 1995 with the ambitious vision of crafting exceptional Australian sparkling wines on par with the world’s finest cuvées and wines that showcase Tasmania as one of the world’s top sparkling wine regions. A lot of time and patience goes into making our wines.
We have developed an extensive maturation program, involving extensive time of tirage, that sees some of our top wines aged up to 15 years or more on lees. The extended lees ageing is crucial to our style; it allows the wines to develop rich, complex flavours and a creamy texture while preserving their vibrant acidity and fruit balance. This long maturation period enables the wines to evolve and gain layers of complexity, resulting in a sophisticated, expressive and refined profile.
H. What do you love about making wine in Tasmania?
EC. The island's isolated location, surrounded by the ocean, creates an ideal climate for outstanding sparkling wines. The ocean temperature keeps conditions mild and consistent throughout the year, which is crucial for a long, slow ripening period that helps develop the beautiful acidity we aim for. The fresh Tasmanian air, unspoiled soils, and salty breeze contribute to our wines' uniqueness and high quality.
H. What can guests expect from a visit to your cellar door?
EC. Our quaint cellar door is nestled in the lush, lofty woodlands along the banks of the Pipers River in Tasmania. Here, we invite visitors to explore our range of sparkling wines through masterclasses, or, if you’re a keen outdoors person, we offer a wine, wildlife and vineyard walk. Here, you can join us at the last tasting session of the day as we take a walk along the vineyard with glass in hand and keep an eye out for local wildlife and resident birds.
H. How does it feel to be shortlisted for the 2025 Winery of the Year award?
EC. It’s an honour to be recognised among the best in the country by such a distinguished organisation and panel of Australia’s best wine experts. It is gratifying that our persistence and single-minded dedication to crafting outstanding Australian sparkling is recognised in this year’s Halliday Wine Companion awards. I’m incredibly proud to celebrate this achievement with our team.
Wine to try
2015 House of Arras Grand Vintage
Lifted nuances of desiccated pear and peach on the nose, with distinct savoury secondary tones, combined with jasmine flower, fresh pastry and honey. The palate is persistent, exhibiting flavours reminiscent of grapefruit, butter biscuit and honeycomb. This wine has an intriguing palate structure combining beautifully with characters of miso-like umami. The low dosage complements the tension of this wine, balancing the acidity and tannin and leaving the palate fresh and vibrant.Best enjoyed: Match with fresh seafoods or with game meats such as pheasant and venison. Best served between 12–18°C in a sparkling wine glass.
RRP $125 | Drink to 2027 | houseofarras.com.au | Shop this wine
Top image credit: Alkina Wine Estate
