Each year, renowned wine critic and vigneron James Halliday AM and the Halliday tasting panel pinpoint the top-rated Australian wines, winemakers and wineries from a pool of around 10,000.

Recognised as the industry benchmark for Australian wine, Halliday Wine Companion has announced the return of its annual awards, with this year’s highly anticipated ceremony set to broadcast online on August 5, 2020, via www.winecompanion.com.au.

The event presents six major trophies for the Wine of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Winery of the Year, Best Value Winery of the Year, Best New Winery of the Year and Dark Horse Winery of the Year.

In addition, the year’s top varietal winners will be awarded across sixteen categories, including Best Pinot Noir, Best Sparkling, Best Shiraz, and Best Riesling, to name a few.

The awards and launch of the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion will mark the release of more than 9,000 new tasting notes, available on the morning of August 6, 2020.

More than 3,500 of these notes will be released in the new Halliday Wine Companion book, with the full 9,000 available online.

“In this unusual circumstance, we are delighted to be able to adapt our traditional awards ceremony and book launch for an online format,” said Halliday Wine Companion general manager, Jacinta Hardie-Grant.

“We see our broadcast as an opportunity to extend our reach beyond those who typically attend the event and welcome industry friends and wine enthusiasts of all kinds to join us in celebrating the fantastic achievements of the Australian wine industry over the past year.”

The Australian wine industry has faced a challenging start to 2020, and this event aims to unify wineries, industry personalities, journalists, reviewers, retailers, sommeliers and wine lovers in solidarity.

Through a strategic partnership, this year’s awards will be presented by fine wine specialists Vintage Cellars.

“We are delighted to be honouring the industry and its top-rated wines, wineries, and winemakers through our partnership with Halliday Wine Companion,” said Vintage Cellars Business Category Manager Ed Scully.

“Vintage Cellars is passionate about sourcing the very best local and international wines, and we are proud to make these award-winning and sought-after bottles accessible to our customers.”

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