Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries 2024: 1–25

Best wineries Australia

The Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries 2024 celebrates the best producers in Australia right now.

Taking out the top spot for 2024 is Hunter Valley icon Tyrrell's Wines. Tyrrell’s has been ranked the number one winery for its exceptional portfolio, which encompasses everyday wines, along with some of the finest single-site expressions in the country. Coming in at a close second is the Yarra Valley's Giant Steps, which was also named the 2025 Winery of Year in the 2025 Companion.

Beechworth's Giaconda sits at number three, with some of the top Hunter Valley wineries represented, and some of the best wineries in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Clare Valley and Eden Valley flying the flag for SA.

Cullen Wines and Vasse Felix are home to some of the best wine from Margaret River, while House of Arras and Pooley are two of the best wineries to visit in Tasmania. Mulline has the Bellarine Peninsula covered when it comes to one of the best Geelong wineries, and the Macedon Ranges' Bindi Wines and Gippsland's Bass Phillip feature at number 11 and 19, respectively.

View the Top 100 Wineries: 26–50

View the Top 100 Wineries: 51–75

View the Top 100 Wineries: 76–100

Tyrrell’s Wines | Giant Steps | Giaconda | Yangarra Estate Vineyard | Mount Mary | Oakridge Wines | Cullen Wines | Grosset | Yarra Yering | Mount Pleasant | Bindi Wines | House of Arras | Vasse Felix | Henschke | Penfolds | Mulline | Koomilya | Tolpuddle Vineyard | Bass Phillip | Yeringberg | The Standish Wine Company | Pooley | Wendouree | Yalumba | Wynns Coonawarra Estate

1. Tyrrell's Wines

With the family estate founded in 1858, it would be easy for Tyrrell’s to rest on tradition – so deep and so profound it is – to settle into the comfort of cruise control. But that’s never been the Tyrrell’s style. History is the deep heartbeat, but constant refinement the modus operandi. Chris Tyrrell is the fifth-generation custodian of the family estate, taking the operational lead in 2014. That was an auspiciously fine vintage to take the reins, and a decade later, Chris’ leadership – alongside his legendary father, Bruce – has ensured an ever-upward arc, with the estate refined into one of peerless excellence. There are a lot of wines under the Tyrrell’s banner, but all have their place, from the everyday up to some of this country’s finest single-site expressions. And while blending across sites has always been a highpoint, that isolation and celebration of exceptional vineyards and blocks, coupled with a deftly light touch in the winery, rightly enshrine Tyrrell’s greatness. Just over two dozen wines were submitted to the 2025 Companion, across a range of prices, and over half notched gold-medal scores, with eleven 96 or higher. Tyrrell’s are in rarefied territory.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Tyrrell's Wines | @tyrrellswines

2. Giant Steps

The Giant Steps name comes from Coltrane, and the “most feared song in jazz”, but it equally reflects the quality leaps of this modern Yarra Valley icon. Considering the exemplary work done under the patronage of Phil Sexton and stewardship of Steve Flamsteed, one might think that the giant steps were behind them. With the sale to the well-resourced, quality-ambitious Jackson Family and the appointment of gun maker Mel Chester to run the show, the estate has only swelled in both prestige and potential. The acquisition of the legendary Bastard Hill Vineyard has played a large part in that. With the inaugural release, that excitement has only heightened. Already dazzling pinnacle wines, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the other sublime wines released in 2024. With so much more to do at the site, the future is a thrilling prospect. It is no wonder Giant Steps was the 2025 Winery of the Year, while also taking out Pinot Noir of the Year for its 2023 Applejack.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Giant Steps | @giantstepswine

3. Giaconda

Australian chardonnay is at such a vertiginous peak, and it has been for some little while. World-class and world-beating examples roll off the tongue with ease, but Giaconda’s is something else. It stands as a singular force, a lustrous beacon of quality and utter individuality, which speaks more assuredly than any point score or flavour descriptor ever could. But to confine Giaconda to one wine does it a disservice. Rick Kinzbrunner has been tirelessly tweaking his vineyard to find the best possible expressions of pinot noir, shiraz, roussanne (recently planted on the 4ha estate site) and nebbiolo (planted at Red Hill) by repopulating with new clones, replanting in more suited patches and refining management. That viticultural commitment is mirrored in the gravity-fed winery and cellar, which was blasted out of solid granite for barrel maturation at ideal temperature and humidity. Giaconda is anchored in the soils and rustic bush of goldmining country, but it has the gravitas and transformative wine character reminiscent of a great historic estate of the Old World.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Giaconda

4. Yangarra Estate Vineyard

Yangarra is often defined by its extraordinary resource of old grenache vines – planted to deep sand over ironstone – along with its prescient investment in a phalanx of climate- and region-apt Rhône varieties. Winemaker Pete Fraser and viticulturist Michael Lane also share plenty of the limelight. They deserve to. But it’s their long-term (26 years and counting) working relationship that deserves more attention. That partnership exists on a synergistic level, mirroring the essential zeitgeist of leading Australian wine, where ground-up winegrowing – from bud to bottle – is formed well before the season’s first nascent leaf uncurls, often perhaps a decade, or more, prior. That the Yangarra wines, from the seemingly humble, to the exalted, are unerringly excellent is no surprise. Brilliant, category re-defining grenache and exemplary shiraz are made at this address, but so too are genuinely world-class white wines, which further help to redefine the possibilities for what is arguably Australia’s most progressive and exciting wine region.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Yangarra Estate Vineyard | @yangarraestate

5. Mount Mary

One of the founding, or rather re-founding, estates of the Yarra Valley, Mount Mary has never been in such exquisite form. Sam Middleton has built on the foresight of his grandfather, the late great Dr John Middleton, to consistently produce region-leading wines from its quartet of classic bottlings – chardonnay, pinot noir and the Bordeaux-inspired pair, ‘Triolet’ and ‘Quintet’ – as well as futureproofing with Rhône varieties that are finding an increasingly assured footing. The Mount Mary wines are paragons of elegance and refined detail that build impressively over decades in the cellar. Time has proven that, making the prospects of today’s wines, with increased vine age and ever-so finely tuned making, just so very tantalising.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Mount Mary | @mountmaryvineyard

6. Oakridge Wines

While the estate has a history (originally on a different site) dating back to 1978, unlike other Yarra pioneers, Oakridge’s prestige is entirely current, radiating from the two-decade-long stewardship of Dave Bicknell. In that time, he has been justly lauded for his major influence on changing the direction of Australian chardonnay, while also celebrating some of the Yarra’s finest vineyards. Those sites, proudly emblazoned across a legion of bottlings, are prime vineyards farmed meticulously and sustainably by Steve Faulkner, or under his oversight in league with leading growers. Today, the chardonnays have never been better – the 2022 864 Funder & Diamond was the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Wine of the Year – but it’s Oakridge’s excellence across the board, from sparkling through to cabernet, that truly defines this modern titan. In the 2025 Companion, the wines racked up 20 gold-medal scores, with eight scoring 97 and over. That’s an astonishing result, but it’s also totally unsurprising.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Oakridge Wines | @oakridgewines

7. Cullen Wines

Cullen celebrated 50 years in 2021. That’s a milestone, especially in what is essentially a young winegrowing region. A founding estate comes with plenty of cachet, but what makes Cullen so interesting, besides the suite of world-class wines, is the thread that runs through it, from establishment to the present and with a distant eye on the horizon. The Cullens always farmed sympathetically, always cared for the broader environment, but Vanya committed to organics in 1998, then had the vineyard certified biodynamic in 2004. The environmental commitment extends to all aspects of the business, upstream and down, while always striving for better and more authentic wines of place. Alongside the sublime flagship Diana Madeline cabernets and Kevin John chardonnay nestle a range of classic Margaret River wines that comfortably share space with those that push various boundaries. Cullen is at the top of its game, in full, glorious flight.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Cullen Wines | @cullenwines

8. Grosset

Jeffrey Grosset is synonymous with riesling. A bit like the way John Vickery (vale) was. You don’t think of Grosset without thinking of the grape, though the Grosset name is stamped across bottles of cabernet, a shiraz nero d’avola blend, chardonnay, fiano and pinot noir. And all are excellent. All would make Grosset a household name. But the rieslings. Well, they make a statement so impactful that it is hard to think of much else. Painstakingly selected and planted sites, biodynamic farming, mature vines, meticulous fruit selection and winemaking are all instrumental. And, of late, that rigour has collided with some spectacular vintages. It is a nexus that has seen some spellbindingly good wines emerge from this most revered address. Put simply, Grosset is better than ever.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Grosset | @grossetwines

9. Yarra Yering

Sarah Crowe landed at Yarra Yering in 2013, completing her first full harvest the following year. In a tick over a decade, she has not just revived a critically important Yarra Valley name, but she has pushed it into the stratosphere, collecting an extraordinary swag of accolades along the way. Dr Bailey Carrodus was one of a cohort of sometimes irascible doctors-turned-vignerons that helped transform the Yarra into the powerhouse it is today. When he passed, it was not certain what would become of his estate. Happily, in 2009, a group of investors assured Yarra Yering’s continuance, in both style and substance. Dr Carrodus was not known as an easy man. He was brilliant, forthright, determined and stubborn, and with all the attendant benefits and difficulties. One would be foolish to speak for him, but it is hard to imagine he would be anything but heartened by the brilliant work of Sarah, who is turning out world-class wines of effortless grace, charm and site-specific thrills. One of the greats.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Yarra Yering | @yarra_yering

10. Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant has had some of our finest winemakers at its helm, turning out some true classics, but the recent releases stake fair claim to being the best since Maurice O’Shea – arguably our best winemaker of all – worked his instinctive genius on the grapes, without even the benefit of electricity. Winemaker Adrian Sparks has simplified things in the most thoughtful of ways, relying on the best fruit, dialling oak well back and never tinkering unduly. Younger vines planted and managed for quantity were removed, with the direction narrowed to the exemplary farming of some of the best vineyard assets in the country, including the Rosehill and Lovedale vineyards. That focus is key, with the winery that used to process over 600 tonnes now only working with about 120. The quality gains are clearly in the glass, and so is Adrian’s considerable skill, intimate familiarity with site and lack of ego and showiness. From top to bottom, the Mount Pleasant wines are sublime, evocative of history and place and unburdened with winemaking artefact.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Mount Pleasant | @mountpleasantwines

11. Bindi Wines

In Gisborne, perched in the lofty cool of the Macedon Ranges, Michael Dhillon’s family’s vineyard was a pioneering one. It was not the region’s first, but it is arguably now its most revered. Macedon, until relatively recently, was celebrated as much for potential as excellence, with a handful of makers, and Bindi in the vanguard, consistently reminding that greatness was achievable. The site, which is largely dedicated to remnant bushland, only has plantings of chardonnay and pinot noir, with Michael making additions to the 1988 vines with two high-density (11,300 plants per hectare) pinot noir blocks that are now at meaningful maturity. Michael turns out excellent shiraz (Pyrette) and grenache from Heathcote, both red and rosé, under the Dhillon label, but the home vineyard’s planting scheme betrays his deep affinity with Burgundy. He now makes six block-specific pinots, alongside two chardonnays (including the perennially excellent Quartz), with all the wines deeply individual and of the very highest calibre.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Bindi Wines | @bindiwines

12. House of Arras

Arras was always an ambitious project. Foolhardy, many would have said back then, just shy of 30 years ago. Ed Carr has certainly proven the detractors wrong, taking on Champagne and proving that Tasmanian sparkling can compete – and triumph – on the world stage. Countless international awards, for both the wines and Carr’s achievements, have more than validated his vision. The sale in 2023 of Arras was one that was warily watched, but the new owner, William Dong of Handpicked Wines (DMG Fine Wine), has committed to not just maintaining but enhancing the program, taking Arras even more assertively to the rest of the world. The current premium releases are some of the best sparkling wines ever made in this country, a testament to Carr’s skill and perseverance, and no doubt a pleasing underwriter for William’s significant commitment.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | House of Arras | @houseofarras

13. Vasse Felix

It’s a couple of years off Virginia Wilcock’s two-decade anniversary as chief winemaker at Vasse Felix. And while that is a significant stint, the achievements that she has crammed into that time suggest an even longer time at the tiller of this founding Margaret River estate. Dr Tom Cullity planted the first vines at Vasse Felix in 1967, which included malbec and cabernet sauvignon. The wine that bears his name, the estate’s flagship, features those old vines, with the malbec portion hovering around 20 per cent, depending on the vintage. That says a bit about Virginia. Both the sizeable inclusion of malbec (a homage, yes, but with cabernet king in the region, sharing the billing is a risk) and the style, which is more about elegance and refinement than raw power. Virginia is one of our most thoughtful and progressive winemakers, ever striving to make better, more engaging, more site- and region-specific wines. The Vasse Felix range reaches dizzying heights, but right through its four tiers, the wines consistently overdeliver with outstanding quality.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Vasse Felix | @vassefelixwines

14. Henschke

The Henschke name is encoded into the DNA of South Australian wine, spanning six generations, from industrious Silesian immigrants in the mid-1800s to the equally industrious current stewards and their heirs apparent. That Henschke is a family-owned winery (one of our oldest) is a matter of pride, but perhaps more critically, its daily operation right down to the finest details – and there are many – is still firmly a family matter. Stephen and Prue Henschke are widely praised for the tireless perfection of their crafts (winemaking and viticulture respectively), but their children – Johann, Justine and Andreas – are all just as immersed in the business. Henschke make three long-term icons of Australian wine – Mount Edelstone, Cyrill Henschke and Hill of Grace – with a few more not far off that status, then there’s a slew of other exceptional wines, from varieties both established and emerging. In a wine world swamped with brands, the Henschke name is an assurance of both excellence and keen authenticity.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Henschke | @henschke

15. Penfolds

That the Penfolds story is essential to the story of Australian wine is a given, but it runs deeper than that. Grange has long been celebrated as this country’s most famous wine, but its genesis also speaks to the spirit of Australian winemaking. Max Schubert famously hid the production of the wine when it was cut from the roster by the Penfolds board. That doggedness, that belief, combined with the integral work of wine chemist Ray Beckwith, embody the essence of Australian wine in the second half of the 20th century: a maverick spirit allied with better tools and knowledge. It’s true that Penfolds has been the establishment for some time, but it is also essentially progressive, continually growing its collection of wines – including impressive co-labs in Champagne and the Napa Valley – while maintaining and refining its classic bottlings. Although a raft of iconic reds still dominate the portfolio, what the whites lack for in representation, they more than make up for in quality. 

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Penfolds | @penfolds

16. Mulline

The Bens, Mullen and Hine, originally from South Australia, met in Adelaide and formed a life partnership that has taken them near and far, to finally settle in the Geelong region. Having worked at top-flight estates in his home territory, the Barossa, as well as in the Yarra, Burgundy and New Zealand, Mullen settled on Geelong to fulfill his personal winemaking ambitions – Hine is a lawyer and manages the business matters. The range of soil types and climatic influences of the sprawling region appeal to Mullen, allowing for much light and shade in the fruit, lending to distinctive single-site expressions. Long-term relationships with like-minded growers work in concert with Mullen’s deftness of touch, resulting in wines of elegant clarity, fine texture and energetic verve. The Bens established Mulline as a producer of note in reasonably quick time, but each vintage that reputation has been dramatically enhanced, marking it as a pillar of excellence not just in the region, but the country. 

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Mulline | @mullinevintners

17. Koomilya

Winegrower is a somewhat clumsy word. But its message could not be more succinct. Steve Pannell is a winegrower: vineyard first, with winemaking subservient, quiet, all to express place, unobstructed. The Koomilya Vineyard, in Upper Tintara, is named after a ship’s bell that Steve found while diving off Busselton jetty as a teenager. Before it was lost to the blue, the bell’s sound was pealed on a ‘lugger’ that transported hardwood from Western Australia to South Australia, its salvage providing a neat link between Steve’s upbringing and settling into his long stride in McLaren Vale as one of this country’s finest winemakers. The single block shiraz triad is only spun out in prime years, and they are some of the most exciting wines made in this country, rendered with the deftest of touches, soulful and deeply complex. They are crafted to evoke the Vale reds of old, but above all they are unmistakeably Koomilya.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Koomilya | @koomilya

18. Tolpuddle Vineyard

Before its potential was fully realised, there were plenty of industry whispers that what would later be called the Tolpuddle vineyard was capable of great things. Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW (Shaw + Smith, MMAD) came across the mature vineyard (planted in 1988) in the Coal River Valley on what they describe as a reconnaissance trip. Buying was not on the agenda then, but the opportunity was not to be missed. The first wines were released in small quantities from the 2012 vintage, and the chardonnay and pinot noir pair have come to be, just over a decade later, some of our most revered exemplars. And rightly so, with winemaker Adam Wadewitz effortlessly coaxing out wines of graceful power, fragrance and refined tension, which drink engagingly on release, but have now proven to age just as positively.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Tolpuddle Vineyard | @tolpuddlevineyard

19. Bass Phillip

It’s hard to imagine Bass Phillip without Philip Jones (the revered Australian pioneer of no-compromise pinot noir and chardonnay to mirror, though not cartoon, the wines of Burgundy) at the rudder. He is eccentric, perhaps, dogged and deeply, arcanely knowledgeable. And passionate, of course. With no heir, Phillip sold in 2020, confident that the estate was in very safe hands. Simpatico. Those hands belong to Jean-Marie Fourrier of Domaine Fourrier (who would have thought, planting vines in the 1979 in the wilds of South Gippsland, that a top Burgundy domaine would knock on the door...), along with a group of investors. Biodynamic since 2002, the Bass Phillip principles remain intact, if fine-tuned, with Jean-Marie and Phillip both inspired by the methods of the legendary Henri Jayer, and the wines have never been better, and, somewhat importantly, consistently so. From the grand-cru-priced (and quality) Reserve through the entire range, this great estate is primed for an even more dazzling future.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Bass Phillip | @bassphillipofficial

20. Yeringberg

The De Pury family were there at the start, when the Yarra Valley was a fledgling wine region in the 1860s (the estate was founded in 1863). They were there when it flourished, with the region’s wines winning international accolades. And they were there when it foundered, with the last recorded commercial vintage in 1921 – at Yeringberg, in fact – before the last vines were grubbed up due to the severity of economic decline. They were also there when the Yarra was reborn, with Guill and Katherine De Pury replanting in 1969. And they are still there, with fourth-generation siblings Sandra and David at the helm. Although the old winery and farm buildings are of a distant past, their antique utilitarianism radiating a tranquil beauty, the wines are very much in the moment, never having been so keenly, so confidently crafted. With arguably Australia’s pre-eminent white Rhône blend, distinguished chardonnay, pinot noir, viognier and shiraz, plus the national treasure that is the Yeringberg cabernets, this Yarra icon canters into the Top 100.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Yeringberg | @yeringberg

21. The Standish Wine Company

Dan Standish has the Barossa in his blood, but there’s nothing particularly parochial about that, or his wines. The wines are distinctly Barossan, yes, deep, intense, earthy and brooding, but they are also informed by a passion for the great wines of the world. Dan has worked around the globe, and was the winemaker at Torbreck for some time, but his wines have always been very much expressive of his singular vision. The ‘new Barossa’ is a term commonly used, and sometimes to those smashing a paradigm. Dan certainly embodies the spirit of the ‘new Barossa’, but it is not about breaking anything. His is a process of constant refinement. He knows what his sites do best but, importantly, he also knows how to weave in light and shade, build subtle complexity, craft authentic layers without showy winemaking. The last two releases have been extraordinary, arguably the best yet. Can the Standish wines get any better? That’s a space to watch closely.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | The Standish Wine Company | @standishwineco

22. Pooley

Near Richmond, in the Coal River Valley, Pooley had built a strong name for itself before Anna Pooley returned to the family fold as part of the third generation working at the estate. That was after significant roles with big wine businesses, making celebrated wines and a name for herself as one of the most talented and thoughtful young winemakers in the country. Anna landed back home in 2013 with husband Justin Bubb, an equally accomplished winemaker and wine thinker. Since then, they have transformed Pooley from very good to superb. Shedding contracts to sell some of their best fruit, the loss to some notable, larger company wines has been Pooley’s gain, and the quality from multi-site blends to single vineyard wines and small-batch premium cuvées is unwaveringly impeccable. From riesling and pinot grigio through chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah, the Pooley wines have set the standards, then exceeded them.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Pooley | @pooleywines

23. Wendouree

There is no producer in this country, indeed anywhere, quite like Wendouree. The winery itself resembles a historical site, a museum to winemaking past, excepting the occasional glimmer of steel. But everything here works, and does so to produce some of this country’s most characterful and age-worthy wines. There is no maker that elicits such reverence, admiration and deeply held respect – from consumers and the wine industry alike – as Wendouree does. And there is no hyperbole in that statement. And no concession to sentimentality in the appreciation, even if there is plenty of personal affection for the label and its stewards. Tony and Lita Brady are oft referred to as the custodians of this site, with vines dating from the 1890s. It’s an apt tag, and one Tony embodies as he quietly goes about his job of making some of Australia’s most soulful wines. On every level, Wendouree is a national treasure.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile

24. Yalumba

The Yalumba Clocktower presides over what is famously celebrated as Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, based in Angaston. It’s an imposing building, equal parts regal and rustic, and it has been the locus for the Hill Smith family’s winegrowing for six generations. For decades, Robert Hill Smith has steered the family business into a diverse operation, from ventures throughout the country to New Zealand, along with premium wine importation and a critically important vine nursery. He has also famously championed viognier, and was driving meaningful sustainability and environment policies well before most, and continues to. The name Yalumba, though, is synonymous with the Barossa. It speaks of the traditional hero varieties (and viognier, too, from the Eden) and the sun-kissed earth. But Yalumba excels just as much in Coonawarra, with the flagship The Caley straddling both regions in the classic old Australian cabernet shiraz blend. It’s a neat connective thread between place, grape and time. Through the range of iconic bottlings and newer specialised additions, the Yalumba wines deliver high quality wines that speak equally to history and a restlessly progressive spirit.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Yalumba | @yalumbawine

25. Wynns Coonawarra Estate

There’s plenty of history at Wynns, from the early days of John Riddoch in the 19th century to the revitalisation by Samuel and David Wynn from the 1950s, then through the glory years of the '80s and '90s. There’s a significant piece of more recent history, too, with Sue Hodder burnishing this great estate into a bright sheen, while also ascending to legendary status in her own right – she was the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Hall of Fame inductee. She was appointed senior winemaker back in 1998, and she is still in that role, having presided over some of the greatest wines at this revered address. Sue has not just maintained but enhanced the classic bottlings, but she has also introduced a focus on discrete batches, working with smaller ferments to both provide more blending options and also to introduce commanding single-site wines. Today, Hodder’s endless enthusiasm for the region and for bottling the best wines possible is keenly felt in everything bearing the Wynns name.

5 ★ winery | Halliday profile | Wynns Coonawarra Estate | @wynnscoonawarra

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Top image credit: Yarra Yering.