As winemakers frequently say, “great wine is made in the vineyard.” The Awards are designed to place vineyards and growers across the nation at the heart of the Australian wine story, and the heart of the Australian wine community. We want to strengthen the connection between the wine in your glass, the place it comes from, and the way the grapes are grown.
The awards are about sustainability, innovation and the pursuit of vine health and wine quality. We want to hear what viticulture approaches are being incorporated, and shine a light on the work of our best growers.
These awards are a celebration of viticulture, and it is through the championing of top vineyards and their stewards, that we can elevate the awareness of their unique role in shaping the wines we love.
Western Australia, Frankland River
2024 Finalist
Set high in the Frankland River subregion of WA’s Great Southern, Alkoomi has been a quietly influential presence since 1971. Spread across 102 hectares and now stewarded by viticulturist Tim Penniment, the vineyard is one of the region’s largest and most diverse, supplying fruit to a host of makers while anchoring a legacy label in its own right. Its old vines, expansive varietal palette and proactive approach to soil health and sustainability have helped define the modern face of Frankland River – one built on freshness, balance and regional fidelity.
Ballarat
2024 Finalist
Tucked in at 500 meters elevation in Ballarat, Victoria, the Mon Climat Vineyard crams one hectare of pinot noir into quartz-strewn Ordovician soil, a 2015 planting now nine years young under Troy Walsh and Luke Poulson. Its debut wine, the 2023 Attwoods Mon Climat Pinot Noir ($120), landed last year – a remarkable single-site flex from a region of 20-plus wineries making a name for themselves in Australia’s cool-climate wine scene. It’s a site designed to make wines with a tight, vibrant thread, born from a high-density setup – 1.2m by 0.85m spacing – that chases elegance over volume by betting on competition between a sprawl of vines. Ballarat’s warm days and frigid nights stretch out the growing season – and Walsh and Poulson are here for it, chasing elegance in a place most wouldn’t dare.
Victoria, Geelong
2024 Finalist
Nestled within the gently rolling limestone hills of Geelong’s Surf Coast subregion, Bellbrae Estate is a compact seven-hectare jewel of a vineyard, growing a suitability concise mix of varieties: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier for the whites, pinot noir and shiraz for the reds. The vines here – a mere five minutes’ drive from international surfing mecca Bells Beach – were planted on their own roots in two tranches, first in 1999, with a second block following in 2015. Currently managed by Simon Steele, these vines produce wines of freshness with a mineral spine – a reflection of the brisk Southern Ocean breezes and hard limestone soils that characterise the site.
South Australia, Adelaide Hills
2024 Finalist
At 400 meters above sea level in Nairne, Adelaide Hills, the Shining Rock Vineyard spans 15.1 hectares of rocky mica-schist. Its vines – planted from 1999 to 2023 –average 18 years of age, and have found new life under viticulturalist Dan Berrigan. Shiraz, sangiovese, grüner veltliner, viognier, and chardonnay thrive here, fuelling the wines of Berrigan’s eponymous label, in addition to supplying fruit for other producers such as Chain of Ponds, d’Arenberg, and La Prova. In a region of 90-plus wineries known for their cool-climate zip, this bowl-shaped site – dryer than its neighbours – delivers concentrated reds and taut whites.
Victoria, Great Western
Finalist
2024 Finalist
In the spice-driven heart of Great Western, the Sugarloaf Creek Vineyard is a 124-hectare estate under the steady hand of Ben Thomson. Planted in 1998, with recent additions in 2022 and 2023, its 26-year-old vines – grown across four soil types – yield a vibrant lineup: shiraz, cabernet, merlot, riesling, dolcetto, and chardonnay. Thomson’s approach blends tradition with high-tech agriculture, while 6,000 trees enhance waterways and biodiversity. Fruit quality drives it all – handpicked rows for premium bottlings and surplus sold to other wineries reflect the site’s pedigree. Sugarloaf Creek Vineyard balances innovation with the region’s classic character.
Victoria, Yarra Valley
Finalist
2024 Finalist
Tucked into the red volcanic soils of the Upper Yarra, Lusatia Park is a 18.7 hectare vineyard that helped shape modern cool-climate viticulture in the region. First planted in 1985 and now stewarded by Rob Sutherland, the site is an archetype of precision farming in one of Australia’s most exciting fine-wine regions. Once a proving ground for canopy trials, today it supplies some of the country’s most respected winemakers – and remains a beacon for Yarra Valley chardonnay and pinot noir, grounded in a deep respect for soil structure, site-matched vine material and seasonal adaptability. Among the Yarra’s 80-plus wineries, famed for cool-climate poise, this site’s altitude and lean soils carve a crisp, elegant line against the valley’s lusher lowlands.
South Australia, Barossa Valley
Finalist
2024 Finalist
High in a gully on the Barossa Valley’s eastern fringe, the Magnolia Vineyard unfurls across 4.2 hectares of deep sandy soils. Its vines average 50 years of age, but some plantings stretch back to 1896. Brett Grocke tends to this patch of shiraz, semillon, grenache noir, and grenache blanc with an organic hand, letting the land –irrigated by three winter streams – shape wines that whisper elegance in a region known for full-throated power. Among the Barossa’s 300-plus producers, where old-vine shiraz often roars, Magnolia stands apart, a quiet testament to the virtues of restraint and regeneration.
Victoria, Beechworth
Finalist
2024 Finalist
Perched at 550 meters elevation in Beechworth, Fighting Gully Road spans 12 hectares, tended to by visionary vigneron Mark Walpole. This windy, low-humidity site has evolved from 1997 through to 2019 and is now planted to sangiovese, tempranillo, chardonnay, verdicchio, and grenache. Walpole’s low-input approach blends pragmatism with sustainability: cane pruning for longevity, drip irrigation as needed, and a permanent sward of clovers and grasses to boost biodiversity. Wines include Fighting Gully Road’s Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, Verdicchio, Gros Manseng, and Rosé, alongside A. Rodda’s Tempranillo and Cuvée du Chais. The x-factor here lies in the vineyard’s north-east slope, with a microclimate of cooler days and warmer nights alongside a unique geology offering Walpole a brilliant canvas on which to paint his own take on Beechworth.
McLaren Vale
2024 Finalist
2022 Finalist
Viticulturist Michael Lane is perhaps best known for his work at McLaren Vale’s Yangarra Vineyard, but he is having an equally important impact on the 67 hectares of vines in the Hickinbotham Vineyard, which sits in the Vale’s Clarendon subzone. That vineyard was first planted by Alan David Hickinbotham over 50 years ago, and has been a significant source of high-quality fruit to iconic wineries—although it was not until California’s Jackson Family bought the site that estate wines were released just over a decade ago. Those wines all sit in the premium category, from a shiraz though three blends based on traditional Bordeaux varieties and a flagship wine, ‘The Peake’, an homage to the Australian blend of cabernet and shiraz. The vineyard is organic, biodynamic, and Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certified.
Western Australia, Margaret River
Finalist
2024 Finalist
Tucked at the southern end of Margaret River in Karridale, Higher Plane Vineyard sprawls across 15.9 hectares of gravelly loam. Its vines – planted between 1997 and 2018 – average 18 years of age, and are tended to by head growers Ianto Ward and Dan Stocker. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, fiano, tempranillo, shiraz and more thrive here, with the fruit going on to make Higher Plane Shiraz and the single-site Juniper Cornerstone Karridale Chardonnay – a standout wine in a region of 215 wineries known for their bold cabernets and plush chardonnays. While the northern Margaret River basks in the sun, this cooler southern pocket requires grit to farm regeneratively, with the wines shaped by the influence of two oceans meeting and a hands-on push for balance.
South Australia, Barossa Valley
2024 Finalist
2020 Finalist
The Hoffmann family are some of the Barossa Valley’s most celebrated growers, with a precious resource of old vines ideally situated in the subregion of Ebenezer. But Adrian Hoffmann farms many young vines, too, with the 20-hectare Mickan Block already showing promise as a source of top-shelf shiraz. Although it’s only five seasons in, the fruit has already been in high demand, going to such makers as Travis Earth, Glaetzer, Soul Growers, Tribus and Torbreck, as well as filling bottles for Hoffman’s collaboration with Chris Ringland, North Barossa Vintners, and Hoffmann’s own Hoffmann Family Vineyards label
South Australia, Barossa Valley
2024 Finalist
2023 Finalist
2020 Finalist
The Hoffmann family’s Dallwitz Block is one of the Barossa Valley’s most renowned fruit sources, with the oldest documented vines planted in 1912, and apocryphal tales of vines surviving from an undocumented 1888 planting. After the family purchased the vineyard in the ’50s, hard times almost saw the site lost in the ’80s, but a revival started by Jeff Hoffmann and extensively expanded by his son Adrian now sees the family vineyards – with the Dallwitz Block as the centrepiece – as some of the region’s most distinguished. With shiraz the lead variety and a focus on increasing soil health, the Dallwitz Block supplies fruit to top makers, including Rockford, Agricola, Glaetzer, Chris Ringland, Torbreck, John Duval, The Standish Wine Company, Izway, and Sami-Odi.
Hunter Valley
2024 Finalist
2023 Finalist
2022 Finalist
2021 Finalist
Field of Mars is the Keith Tulloch Wine home vineyard. Planted mostly to 40- to 50-year-old vines on alluvial soils in Pokolbin, it rubs shoulders with some of the Hunter’s most revered semillon sites. Sustainability is a key driver of the estate, from the farming to re-establishing native scrub to using only recycled packaging for their wine. The site is run by Alisdair Tulloch, operations manager and sustainability manager for Keith Tulloch Wines, who guides the growing of fruit for premium single block varietal wines from chardonnay, shiraz, viognier and semillon in the Field of Mars range.
Wrattonbully
2024 Finalist
2023 Finalist
2022 Finalist
2021 Finalist
Susie Harris started the Land of Tomorrow wine brand with grapes from her family’s Wrattonbully property, which they have farmed for four generations. Beginning in the 1970s, the property has been steadily revegetated from bare grazing land to re-establish woodland and wetlands, with vines first planted for the Grindstone Vineyard in 1995. Harris has sped up the process of restoring the land, with as much attention to the vineyard as the surrounding land, building biodiversity from microbes in the soil to native grasses between the rows and fauna in the re-established scrub. She is also focused on communicating that message to consumers, with an ecotourism hut hosting visitors to understand the broader environmental goals while appreciating the wines and their connection with the land that Harris is seeking to protect. The Grindstone Vineyard is responsible for a chardonnay, shiraz and cabernet shiraz under the Land of Tomorrow label.
Victoria, Pyrenees
2024 Finalist
2020 Finalist
In Victoria’s Pyrenees, near Landsborough, the Malakoff Vineyard has become one of the state’s most celebrated grower sites, supplying fruit to a shimmering galaxy of winemaking stars. Owned and managed by father and son viticultural team Robert and Cameron John, the site was first celebrated by Northern Rhône superstar Michel Chapoutier when he saw the potential for greatness in Victorian gold country, but it is now perhaps better known for supplying nebbiolo and shiraz to more recognisably local makers.
Western Australia, Margaret River
Finalist
2024 Finalist
Nestled in Yallingup at the northern tip of Margaret River, Marri Wood Park Vineyard consists of 6.5 hectares of 30-year-old vines – a rugged standout in a region famous for its manicured wines. Certified biodynamic since 2008 (Demeter), vineyard management here is less about cosmic rituals and more about vigneron Julian Wright letting nature run the show – forgoing irrigation, fertilizers, and cover crops to mimic the wild bush that dominates the rest of his 40-hectare farm. Chenin, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, and semillon grow here, fed only by rain, leaf litter, and animal droppings rather than any inputs from the conventional growers’ playbook. In a region of over 200 wineries where fewer than 10 hold certified biodynamic status, Marri Wood Park stands as a rare throwback to an unplugged style of farming.
Tasmania
2024 Finalist
2020 Finalist
Meadowbank’s Ellis family are pioneers of the modern Tasmanian wine scene, planting their vineyard in the 1970s against the best available advice. That site in the Upper Derwent Valley has validated their conviction, becoming one of the island’s most enduring and respected fruit sources. The 60-hectare vineyard supplies names like Arras, Bay of Fires and Glaetzer-Dixon with grapes, primarily pinot noir, shiraz and riesling. Today, the Meadowbank brand has also been reinvigorated, with the wines fine-tuned by the glittering talents of Peter Dredge, who makes Meadowbank’s own-label wines along with his own Dr Edge label, which largely centres around Meadowbank fruit.
South Australia, Clare Valley
2024 Finalist
Perched at 480 meters in the Clare Valley subregion it shares a name with, Mount Horrocks’ Watervale Vineyard spans 5.8 hectares of red loam and limestone. Its vines – planted between 2001 and 2020 – average 18 years of age, and are tense to by Clare Valley icon Stephanie Toole. Riesling, semillon, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and nero d’Avola yield a tight lineup of estate-grown wines. In a region of 80-plus wineries famed for the flinty snap of their bone-dry rieslings, this high-altitude oasis – ACO-certified organic and biodynamic – chases finesse over force, a green island in a sea of conventionally managed vineyards.
McLaren Vale
2024 Finalist
2021 Finalist
Oliver’s Taranga Vineyard in McLaren Vale has long been one of the most important sources of high-quality grapes for some of South Australia’s most revered makers, with their own name added to that roster when they started making wine under sixth-generation steward Corinna Wright in 1994. Her uncle Don Oliver takes charge of the 85-hectare vineyard, with a keen focus on sustainability and an unwavering dedication to producing A-grade fruit, which ensures their grapes end up in some of this country’s most vaunted bottlings. Along with regional stalwarts shiraz, grenache and cabernet, the family have invested significantly in Italian and Spanish grape varieties that suit their warm maritime site.
McLaren Vale
2024 Finalist
2023 Finalist
2022 Finalist
2021 Finalist
The Orbis wine label was founded by Brad Moyes and Kendall Grey in 2018 when they purchased an established vineyard in McLaren Vale. The Orbis name references the idea of a self-sufficient system, and the pair anchor everything they do in sustainability, from farming to bottling. Mowing between the rows is largely performed by a flock of babydoll sheep that have been given permanent residence between the vines, with chickens and ducks to join them once a fox-proof fence trial is completed. The fruit goes to the Orbis wines made by Verity and Jamie Cowley at the onsite winery, from a pétillant rosé and a piquette to trousseau and an old vine shiraz, with a pair of rosés and a few Mediterranean varieties and non-traditional blends filling out the roster. Contract grapes are also sold to make premium products for Ministry of Clouds and Samson Tall, alongside more established brands such as Penfolds and Wirra Wirra. The vineyard is managed organically and biodynamically by Verity Cowley and owner Brad Moyes, with viticultural guidance by GT Growers.
King Valley
2024 Finalist
Nestled in Victoria’s King Valley, Pizzini Wines’ Whitfield Vineyard unfurls across 81 hectares of river flats and amphitheater hills, a 1978 planting now entering its august middle age under Joel Pizzini (Head of Production) and David Morgan (Vineyard Manager). What started as riesling on own roots – slowly wiped out by phylloxera – has morphed into mosaic of Italian varieties on rootstock: sangiovese, nebbiolo, arneis, barbera, and more. In a region of 60-plus wineries, the savory reds and crisp whites carved out by the Whitfield Vineyard’s soil diversity and mountain-buffered climate stand out. The vineyard’s tale is one of a tobacco dynasty turned wine legacy – innovation grafted onto old roots for a new story.
Tasmania
2024 Finalist
2021 Finalist
When it was first planted in 1985, Pooley Wines’ Cooinda Vale Vineyard in the Coal River Valley added less than a hectare to the state’s meagre 47 hectares of grapevines. Fast forward, and today Pooley contribute around 20 hectares across their two sites to the 2,000 plus planted on the Apple Isle, and a whole lot more to the reputation of the island state’s wine industry. The site, managed by Steve Ferguson, producers Pooley’s most revered single-site wines made from riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir.
Tasmania
2024 Finalist
Tucked into Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, the Pressing Matters Vineyard spans 20.6 hectares of volcanic limestone and black clay, with its vines – planted from 1980 to 2024 – now under Mark Hoey’s steady hand. Pinot noir (44 years deep), riesling, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and newbies such as shiraz and gamay grow on a mix of own-roots and rootstocks, yielding five separate riesling bottlings, three pinot noirs, a chardonnay, a cabernet sauvignon, and a sparkling pinot – all estate-grown. It’s a quiet innovator, protecting its legacy as a Tasmanian pioneer against the threat of a warming future.
Victoria, Mornington Peninsula
2024 Finalist
2022 Finalist
2021 Finalist
2020 Finalist
Before selling to a major player, Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy made their mark as icons of the Mornington Peninsula in the 1990s, with their T’Gallant estate generating a flurry of interest around pinot grigio/gris that has not abated since. With a move to one of the Mornington Peninsula’s oldest vineyards in Balnarring, the pair have continued with their exploration of that grape, along with the Peninsula stalwarts of pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as delving into some key white grapes of north-eastern Italy. The site is responsible for some of the key Quealy bottlings, including their premium ‘Seventeen Rows’ pinot noir and skin-contact ‘Turbul’ friulano. Today, the vineyard is managed under organic certification by Will Byles, who took the reins from former manager Lucas Blanck after vintage 2023, to produce fruit for wines that range from classic to experimental and lo-fi.
South Australia, Riverland
2024 Finalist
Nestled in the Riverland’s ‘Golden Triangle,’ Ricca Terra’s Rudi Vineyard spans 16 hectares, planted by Ashley Ratcliff between 2004 and 2020 on tight terra rossa soils over limestone. Unlike the region’s typical sandy expanses, this site’s hungry earth pairs with the region’s warm, arid climate to bring definition to a diverse lineup of grenache blanc, fiano, vermentino, nero d’avola, albarino, tempranillo, trebbiano, greco, lagrein, montepulciano, sauvignon blanc, arinto, chardonnay, prosecco, and merlot – mostly planted on drought-tolerant Ruggeri rootstock. Ratcliff’s approach defies Riverland norms, employing hand-pruning and selective harvesting to prioritize fruit quality over yield. Annual cattle manure applications and cover crops enhance soil health, while olives mark a shift toward mixed horticulture. Grapes from here supply Ricca Terra’s extensive range and go to notable makers, including Kangarilla Road, Witches Falls, Little Victories, and Other Wine Co. This vineyard stands out in Australia’s wine scene for pioneering climate-adapted varieties and rootstocks, transforming a bulk-wine region into a hub of innovation. Blending tradition with forward-thinking viticulture, the Rudi Vineyard proves that the Riverland can punch above its weight.
Tasmania
2024 Finalist
Tucked into into a steep, sandy slope at Cradoc in Tasmania’s cool Huon Valley, Sailor Seeks Horse spans eight hectares planted in 2005–2018 on sandstone-derived Permian mudstone. This steep, nutrient-lean site – just warm enough to ripen pinot noir, chardonnay, trousseau, and chenin blanc – relies on dry farming for deep roots and expressive fruit, though arid summers prompt undervine mulching. Wines include three cuvees of pinot noir as well as chardonnay, with trousseau and chenin blanc still maturing. The wines have lightness of touch with an underlying power, with a salinity born of sandy quartz-like soils and and layered complexity thanks to the varied terrain. Cared for by Paul and Gilli Lipscombe, Sailor Seeks Horse is a testament to patience and place.
Hunter Valley
2024 Finalist
2022 Finalist
The Scarborough Wine Co. has five vineyard sites in the Hunter Valley, with the Hermitage Road Vineyard acquired in 2007. The vineyard has been lovingly revitalised from the impacts of former owners’ conventional viticultural approaches by partners in life and vines Liz Riley and Jerome Scarborough.. Sustainability is the central pillar of the operation, with a push to close the loop on waste and increase biodiversity in and around the vineyard blocks. In the 18 years under their stewardship, the improvement in soil health and structure and the increase in fruit quality has been palpable. The vineyard supplies fruit for both the Scarborough Wine Co. and its Offshoots range, for which Jerome serves as the winemaker, as well as to some other producers.
South Australia, Adelaide Hills
2024 Finalist
Shaw + Smith’s Balhannah Vineyard, planted from 2002 to 2021 in the Adelaide Hills, stretches across 35 hectares, with vines averaging 12 years of age (the oldest at 22). Shiraz, sauvignon blanc, gamay, and riesling thrive here at 340–380 metres above sea level, organically managed by Murray Leake since 2021. Vines span north-south rows, dry-grown for shiraz, grazed by sheep in winter, and mulched with minimal tillage to nurture sandy loam over ironstone-rich clay. Leake’s team crafts complex, finely textured shiraz and crisp sauvignon blanc, reflecting the warmth of Balhannah’s pocket within the Onkaparinga Valley. The terroir, laced with quartz and ironstone, drives structured tannins and while detailed vineyard work – compost teas, strategic leaf-plucking, and clonal renewal – delivers vibrant fruit, marrying site precision with ecological balance on a scale few can match. It’s a site that speaks clearly of place, but just as loudly of intent – of a philosophy that puts soil health, vine balance and vineyard expression at the centre of the winemaking conversation.
South Australia, Clare Valley
2024 Finalist
Skillogalee Estate, planted in the 1970s in Clare Valley’s Skilly Valley subregion, spans 50 hectares of vines averaging 47 years, with some hitting 50. Riesling, shiraz, and cabernet sauvignon lead, joined by gewurztraminer, malbec, and grenache – all dry-grown on ancient dolomite soils. Kerri Thompson and Brendan Pudney drive a hands-on, sustainable approach, hand-pruning and hand-picking across contoured, east-facing slopes, ditching herbicides since 2021 for native grasses and composted marc. The terroir ripens fruit later than Clare’s norm, shaping wines with elegance, fine tannins, and piercing acidity. Thompson’s winemaking keeps it pure, yielding delicate, structured reds and vibrant whites. Skillogalee blends heritage vines with a biodiversity push – it’s Clare classicism meets ecological edge, balancing soil health and fruit intensity for a future-proofed patch of dirt.
South Australia, McLaren Vale
2024 Finalist
2020 Finalist
Wayne Smart is the current custodian of a bush vine grenache vineyard first planted by Wayne’s grandfather in 1922. The site is one of the highest and coolest in McLaren Vale, returning fruit that produces wines of distinctive fragrance and detail. Wayne tends the vines in the low-impact way his father, Bernard, evolved over his more than 75 years there. Today, that fruit goes to the likes of S.C. Pannell, Thistledown, In Praise of Shadows and Willunga 100, making expressions that are helping to redefine the possibilities for Australian grenache.
Victoria, Nagambie Lakes
2024 Finalist
In the heart of Nagambie Lakes, the 1927 Marsanne block at Tahbilk stands as a rare monument to vine endurance and adaptation. Nearly a century old, and still on own roots, these vines have witnessed generations of viticultural change while continuing to yield fruit that defines one of Australia’s most iconic white wines. This is a vineyard where living legacy meets progressive environmental stewardship – a seamless blending of deep heritage and sharp-eyed sustainability. Few vineyards globally can claim vines this old still in commercial production, and fewer still do so with such a clear-eyed vision for the future.
NSW/ACT, Pokolbin
2024 Finalist
In Pokolbin, at the heart of the Hunter Valley, Braemore Vineyard thrives as a 55-year-old testament to semillon’s quiet power. First planted in 1969 across six hectares of a 10-hectare property, this shrine to semillon – worked by Ken Bray and father–son duo Andrew and Daniel Thomas – turns out grapes that bottle a region’s soul. Lively and fresh in its youth, Thomas Wines’ Braemore Semillon is burnished by time to achieve great depth in its later life as the Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon. The Braemore vineyard is a place where ancient vines, river-wrought soils, and a family’s steady hands weave wines brimming with place.
South Australia, Adelaide Hills
2024 Finalist
Cresting at 510 meters above sea level in South Australia’s Lenswood subregion, Turon Lenswood Vineyard squeezes 1.52 hectares of high-density vines – 0.75ha pinot noir, 0.77ha chardonnay – into a gem of a vineyard on ancient clay and shale soils, planted in 2020 under Turon White’s vision. These ultra-dense plantings – 5,556 vines/ha – yield the fruit for Turon’s estate pinot noir, with an estate chardonnay looming. In a region of 90-plus wineries famed for crisp cool-climate drops, this steep, east-facing sliver of vines – 5 years young – chases vibrancy over volume, sidestepping Piccadilly’s plushness or Lobethal’s heft. It’s a first-generation winemaker’s dream – built from scratch.
NSW/ACT, Hunter Valley
2024 Finalist
Perched at 110 meters above sea level in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, Tyrrells’ Short Flat Vineyard spans 12.51 hectares of sandy loam and red clay. Its vines – planted from 1923 to 2011 – average 50+ years of age, and thrive under Brent Hutton’s care. All own-rooted, the chardonnay, semillon, shiraz, and pinot noir vines planted here yield iconic wines: Tyrrells Vat 1 semillon, Vat 9 shiraz, Vat 47 chardonnay, and the shiraz component of Vat 8 shiraz cabernet. In a region of 150-plus wineries wrestling with humidity and heat (and the resulting disease pressure), Short Flat’s ancient vines and shifting soils craft wines of finesse – less brash than Barossa shiraz, subtler than Margaret River chardonnay, and genre-defining for Hunter semillon. It’s a dry-grown relic of a site, thriving on grit and guile.
Tasmania
2024 Finalist
Nestled in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, the Utzinger Vineyard spans 5 hectares under the care of Matthias Utzinger, planted in 2018 on virgin brown dermosols rich with ironstone gravel. This north-easterly slope, cooled by winds off kanamaluka/the Tamar River, offers a prolonged ripening season that shapes its pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and syrah. Certified organic since its inception, the vineyard employs high-density planting at 6,500 vines per hectare, with 20% of the land dedicated to revegetation for biodiversity. Matthias crafts the wines from this site himself. This young vineyard, blending Utzinger’s Swiss heritage with Tasmanian terroir, shows how small-scale, intentional viticulture can make an immediate impact.
Margaret River
2024 Finalist
2021 Finalist
Planted in 1967, Tom’s Vineyard was the first commercial vineyard in Margaret River. Vasse Felix now farm over 330 hectares at four sites across the region, including a vineyard in Karridale mostly earmarked for sister sparkling wine label Idée Fixe, but it is the original Tom’s Vineyard parcel within their broader Home Vineyard in Wilyabrup on Caves Road that is reserved for their most prestigious bottlings, producing the Premier and Icon ranges, including the flagship red from the oldest vines – own-rooted cabernet sauvignon and malbec – named after the estate’s founder, Tom Cullity. Bart Molony manages the viticultural operations for Vasse Felix across all four of their sites with an eye towards pragmatic sustainability.
Victoria, Heathcote
2024 Finalist
Heathcote’s Whistling Eagle Vineyard, first planted in 1995, spans 50 hectares with vines averaging 10–20 years – the oldest hitting 30. Shiraz leads a diverse pack – sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, grenache, nebbiolo, and more – across ancient red Cambrian soils. Ian ‘Bomber’ Rathjen, a fourth-generation grower, tends Whistling Eagle with son Scott, achieving low yields and big flavour via drip irrigation, straw mulch, and soft pruning on east-facing slopes. A true grower’s vineyard, its fruit lures in top winemakers, including De Bortoli, Tar & Roses, Wild Duck Creek, and Place of Changing Winds. The terroir, a result of Mount William’s fault line and gentle elevation, ripens fruit slowly via cool nights. Sustainability weaves in with native swards and over 100 flowering natives put in the ground since 2024, boosting bugs and bees.
Western Australia, Margaret River
2024 Finalist
Tucked into the cool coastal pocket of Yallingup on the northern edge of Margaret River, Windows Estate is a certified-organic standout shaped by Chris Davies, who planted his first vines at age 19. Spanning nine hectares out of a 47-hectare farm, this vineyard – planted in tranches from 1996 to 2014 – thrives on three distinct soil types: karri loam, fractured laterite, and granite-clay blends. Chris treats the farm as one living ecosystem, with no irrigation, minimal inputs, and a hands-on ethos –manual whipper-snipping and Guyot–Poussard pruning keep it personal. Over 50% of the land remains a conservation zone, buzzing with biodiversity, while the rest yields a tight lineup: both sparkling and still chenin blanc, chardonnay, semillon, syrah, and ‘Violette’ (a Bordeaux blend), with varietal petit verdot and malbec in select years. Each block is vinified separately, letting the site’s terroir shine through in every bottle. Proximity to the wild rhythm of the ocean and a towering ridgeline create a microclimate that tempers the heat, coaxing out vibrant acidity and layered flavors that speak directly of this unique patch of earth.
South Australia, McLaren Vale
2024 Finalist
2021 Finalist
2020 Finalist
Viticulturist Michael Lane and winemaker Peter Fraser have worked hand in glove at McLaren Vale’s Yangarra Estate for over 20 years, steering the wines to ever-greater heights through a program that puts vineyard front and centre. Fraser is one of this country’s most skilled makers – no argument – but the long-term quality goals the pair had for the estate were always built on reinvigorating their soil and returning a natural harmony to the site. Today, Lane meticulously manages 82 hectares of vines to A-grade biodynamic standards, working across a suite of Southern Rhône varieties, with grenache taking the lead. Yangarra also supplies grapes to a who’s who of McLaren Vale’s finest makers.
Western Australia, Frankland River
2024 Finalist
Nestled in Frankland River at 250 meters elevation, Yarrabee spans 72 hectares under the care of Tim Penniment of Alkoomi. Planted on gravelly loams in 1997, with recent additions in 2019 and 2023, all on own roots, the site’s large diurnal swings, and dry, rain-shadowed climate shape chardonnay, riesling, semillon, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, shiraz, merlot, and grenache. Penniment’s approach prioritizes soil health, with winery-waste compost, cover crops, and sheep grazing boosting organic carbon and cutting water needs. Wines from here include Three Elms’ Mt Frankland Shiraz, Byron & Harold’s ‘The Partners’ trio, and a suite of releases from Alkoomi and Lange Estate. Yarrabee stands out in Australia’s wine scene for transforming a former commercial site into a premium fruit source via meticulous soil revival and community ties.
Victoria, Yarra Valley
Finalist
2024 Finalist
Located along the ‘Golden Mile’ of the Coldstream subregion of the Yarra Valley, the Yeringberg farm encompasses 500 hectares, of which a mere 26 are planted to grapevines. Despite their small footprint within the larger sheep and cattle farm, those 26 hectares comprise some of the Yarra Valley (and Australia’s) most famed rows. First planted in 1967, with additions throughout the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, Yeringberg’s old vines speak to a history of grape-growing in the Yarra Valley that stretches back to 1838. The varieties in the ground here are a suitably classic French-inspired blend: Burgundian mainstays pinot noir and chardonnay, Rhône stalwarts shiraz, viognier, marsanne and roussanne, and the Bordeaux noble family of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. They tell not only the story of this plot of land, but also of the revival of the Yarra Valley’s dormant wine industry – rising phoenix-like from the ashes to become one of the country’s major players once again.
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