Wirra Wirra’s The 12th Man, which was one of only two Chardonnays worldwide to be named Best in Show. Image courtesy Wirra Wirra

The results of this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) have been revealed, and Australia has reaffirmed its status, earning four Best in Show, 11 Platinum, and 65 Gold medals. Additionally, Australia claimed the #1 spot for medal yield — a new, key metric recognising the number of medals earned relative to a country’s vineyard area.

Australia earned 643 medals — the fourth-highest total overall — and achieved the world’s highest medal yield at 4.04 medals per 1,000 hectares.

“Australia continues its well-established history of punching above its weight, placing fourth in total medal count behind the big three—France, Italy, and Spain,” said Huon Hooke, the Australian co-chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

“While there was a slight dip in the number of ‘Best in Show’ awards, a strong overall medal count has placed Australia first in the new metric of medals per hectare of vineyard area. The mix of regions and producers was also heartening, with some of our most renowned wineries performing as expected, but also some lesser-known names emerging to receive well-deserved recognition.”

Australia’s four Best in Show wines represent four distinct regions, said Lilla O’Connor, Decanter World Wine Awards’ head of marketing. They are: Wirra Wirra The 12th Man Chardonnay (Adelaide Hills 2024), Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Margaret River 2022), Barossa Old Vine Company Shiraz (Barossa Valley 2022), and Trentham Estate Reserve Shiraz (Heathcote 2023).

“This reflects a system where regional specialisation and strong export standards continue to drive excellence,” said O’Connor.

South Australia stands out

South Australia was the best-performing state, with a haul of 309 medals in total. These included two coveted Best in Show awards for wines from the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley.

Wirra Wirra’s The 12th Man was one of only two Chardonnays worldwide to be named Best in Show. The other was the Jean-Marc Brocard Bougros Chablis Grand Cru 2023 from Burgundy.

“The result underscores a new reality: Australia now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Burgundy as a global benchmark for site-expressive Chardonnay,” said Matt Deller MW, Wirra Wirra’s CEO.

“This is an extraordinary moment for Australian wine. Chardonnay is now Australia’s most planted and most crushed variety, and the quality has never been higher. For The 12th Man to stand alongside a Grand Cru Chablis as one of the best Chardonnays in the world is an emphatic statement about how far Australia has come.”

Emma Wood, chief winemaker at Wirra Wirra, described the wine as “the result of a singular focus on site and purity”.

“The Adelaide Hills gives us fruit with incredible finesse and natural acidity, and we handle it gently to allow that character to shine through. This award is a deeply meaningful recognition of our team’s commitment to crafting wines of place,” she said.

Margaret River in Western Australia was the standout subregion, reinforcing its global reputation for premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Margaret River was Australia’s most awarded subregion, claiming 104 medals, including 22 Top-Tier Awards:  one Best in Show (Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022), four Platinum and 17 Gold Medals.

For context, entire countries such as New Zealand and the USA received 26 and 20 Top-Tier Awards respectively.

According to Decanter, only 50 ‘Best in Show’ medals were awarded (representing just 0.3% of all wines tasted), alongside 137 Platinum and 732 Gold medals.

“These results are a powerful endorsement of the world-class wines consistently produced in Margaret River,” said CEO of the Margaret River Wine Association, Amanda Whiteland.

“They reflect the dedication, skill and collaboration across our artisan winemaking community.”

Victoria continues to rise through the ranks with 16 top-tier medals, including one Best in Show.

Although smaller in volume, Tasmania showed a solid performance in cool-climate varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, posting one Platinum medal.

Craggy Range was the only New Zealand producer to receive a Best in Show award, which was won by its 2024 Martinborough Pinot Noir.

Chief winemaker Ben Tombs said the winery was “incredibly proud” to see the Martinborough region recognised among the world’s best.

“Our vineyards here continue to prove why this site is so special for Pinot Noir – complex, elegant, and deeply expressive,” said Tombs. “This award is a true testament to the passion and hard work of our vineyard and winery teams.”

The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world’s largest wine competition, where wines from over 50 countries are judged through a rigorous, multi-stage blind tasting process.

Each wine is tasted by a panel of judges, including at least one regional chair or expert. Wines awarded Gold or higher are re-tasted by senior judging panels to confirm medal status. The awards range from Bronze and Silver to Gold, Platinum, and the coveted Best in Show.

Full results available here.

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