Halliday magazine

The magazine features insights from James Halliday and the tasting team, the most sought-after wine reviews (100 new-release tasting notes in each issue), travel features through Australia and New Zealand's great wine regions, plus profile pieces, amazing recipes with wine matches and more.

Issue #79  – on sale from Thursday June 19, 2025

Notes from the editor:

If you’re a drinks polyamorist, you’ll be happy to hear that Halliday is now rating and reviewing gin, whisky and more alongside wine.

But even if wine is your one and only love, we hope you’ll enjoy learning about the fascinating world of spirits – and eventually make space in your heart for it.

In this issue, you’ll hear from Halliday spirits taster Fred Siggins, who has written about wine-infused gins – essentially Australia’s answer to English sloe gin. Mike Bennie’s column is also, incidentally, spirit-focused – he’s profiled Rose Kentish of Full Circle Spirits, a master of winemaking, brewing, distilling and even perfume-making.

It’s also our annual ‘Great Reds’ issue, but instead of the usual round-up of top wines, Max Allen has looked at the 12 most influential red wines in Australian history that are still, in some form or another, in production today. It’s a unique framing of a topic that’s been fairly thrashed, and we’ve supported his list with current vintage tasting notes from our own Tasting Team.

Make sure you also devote proper time and attention to Katie Spain’s important piece on how the New Zealand wine industry acknowledges, incorporates and integrates Ma–ori culture and language.