Explore the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion top-rated wines
Over 7000 wines were tasted for this year’s Halliday Wine Companion. We painstakingly whittled this down to a shortlist of 165 wines to be tasted at our annual awards judging in March. Seventeen brackets were set before nine of the very best wine critics in Australia. They tasted blind, each wine masked to conceal its maker. The best of the best of these brackets were repoured to determine Red Wine of the Year, White Wine of the Year, and the prestigious award, Wine of the Year.
Find all the varietal winners here, plus lists of all the top-rated wines for each category. These lists work best as a quick reference though, for the tasting note and accompanying information found on each wine review is the best guide as to whether a wine is for you. Halliday members have access to all of this detailed information, helping them pick the right wine for them, no matter their preferred style, variety or price point.
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CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The best cabernet sauvignon from the 2026 Companion
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CABERNET AND BLENDS
The best cabernet and blends from the 2026 Companion
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SHIRAZ
The best shiraz from the 2026 Companion
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GRENACHE
The best grenache from the 2026 Companion
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PINOT NOIR
The best pinot noir from the 2026 Companion
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OTHER REDS AND BLENDS
The best other reds and blends from the 2026 Companion
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ROSE
The best rosé from the 2026 Companion
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CHARDONNAY
The best chardonnay from the 2026 Companion
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SEMILLON
The best semillon from the 2026 Companion
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RIESLING
The best riesling from the 2026 Companion
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SAUVIGNON BLANC
The best sauvignon blanc from the 2026 Companion
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PINOT GRIGIO
The best pinot grigio from the 2026 Companion
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OTHER WHITES AND BLENDS
The best other whites and blends from the 2026 Companion
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SPARKLING
The best sparkling wine from the 2026 Companion
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FORTIFIED
The best fortified wines from the 2026 Companion
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SWEET WINES
The best sweet wines from the 2026 Companion
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WILDCARD
The best wildcard wines from the 2026 Companion