Our lead producers, and our lead wines, are the pathway forward. We are fortunate that our best producers continue to be so relentless in their drive to be, every year, that little bit better. Australian wine needs them to be. We present the 2025 Winery of the Year Shortlist – meet our finalists below.
Alkina Wine Estate
Where: Barossa Valley, South Australia
Established: 2015
Winemakers: Amelia Nolan and Alberto Antonini
Viticulturist: Johnny Schuster
Why: "This is a play at quality of the most serious kind... This is a producer you need to get across."
Brokenwood
Where: Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Established: 1970
Winemakers: Stuart Hordern and Kate Sturgess
Viticulturist: Kat Barry
Why: "Brokenwood’s form right now could not be stronger."
Giant Steps
Where: Yarra Valley, Victoria
Established: 1997
Winemakers: Melanie Chester, Mike Latham and Jess Clark
Viticulturist: Ashley Wood
Why: "Giant Steps, right now, breathes rare air. It’s been an outstanding winery for a long time..."
House of Arras
Where: Northern Tasmania
Established: 1995
Winemaker: Ed Carr
Viticulturist: Daniel Watson
Why: "This endeavour is a treasure of Australian wine, full stop."
Oakridge Wines
Where: Yarra Valley, Victoria
Established: 1978
Winemaker: David Bicknell
Viticulturist: Steve Faulkner
Why: "Oakridge is a superb team at the top of its game."
Silkman Wines
Where: Hunter Valley, New South Wales
Established: 2013
Winemakers: Liz Silkman and Shaun Silkman
Why: "Silkman is a producer who knows its territory and who, by virtue of its unflinching quality standards, makes a stand for it."
The full 2026 Shortlist is now live
The 2025 Winery of the Year has already been announced, and we've now moved onto the 2026 Shortlist. Find all the latest finalists here.
*This is an edited extract from the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by James Halliday, Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by Vera Babida.
Quotes by Campbell Mattinson.
