Image: Henschke cellar door

The highly anticipated 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards was broadcast online for the first time last night.

A celebration of Australian wine following a year plagued with fire, drought and pandemic, the awards showcased the resilience and strength of this proud industry.

Of the winners was Henschke, one of Australia’s top producers, which took home the Winery of the Year award.

The move online, made to combat restrictions within the current climate, proved highly successful, with wine-loving viewers from across Australia and the globe tuning in to learn the deserving winemakers, wineries and wines honoured as the 2021 award recipients.

Streamed on the Halliday Wine Companion website, host Jon Faine joined James Halliday AM in announcing the awards through a 45-minute program.

James Halliday AM spoke at length about each award winner and detailed the time-intensive process that his tasting panel endured.

Throughout the past year, the team reviewed close to 10,000 Australian wines, uncovering the six major award winners and sixteen varietal winners along the way.

The awards also mark the release of the ‘wine-enthusiast’s Bible’, the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion.

The book is a comprehensive guide to Australia’s leading wines, wineries, grapegrowing regions and includes all awards winners and over 4,000 tasting notes.

The best of the best, identified by James Halliday AM and the tasting panel, hail from regions far and wide, spanning from Western Australia to Tasmania.

This year’s major awards represent regions including; Barossa Valley (2), McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley, Greater Western and Riverina, and the varietal winners include; Tasmania, Western Victoria, Hunter Valley (3), Margaret River (3), Geelong (2), Yarra Valley (3) and Barossa Valley (2).

2021 Award Winners

• Winery of the year – Henschke, Barossa Valley, SA
• Winemaker of the year – Brett Grocke – Eperosa Wines, Barossa Valley, SA
• Wine of the year – Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 2018, Hunter Valley, NSW
• Best New Winery – Varney Wines, McLaren Vale, SA
• Dark Horse of the Year – Yarran Wines, Riverina, NSW
• Best Value Winery of the Year – Best’s Wines, Great Western, VIC

2021 Varietal Winners

• Riesling – 2019 Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling – 98 points
• Chardonnay – 2017 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay – 99 points
• Semillon – 2014 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon – 99 points
• Sauvignon Blanc – 2018 Flowstone Queen of the Earth Sauvignon Blanc – 97 points
• Other White Varieties and Blends – 2019 Stargazer Tupelo – 97 points
• Sparkling – 2005 House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged – 99 points
• Sweet – 2018 Lethbridge Bortytis Riesling TBA – 99 points
• Rosé – 2019 Nocturne Carbunup SR Sangiovese Nebbiolo Rose – 96 points
• Pinot Noir – 2017 Bannockburn Serre Pinot Noir – 99 points
• Cabernet Sauvignon – 2016 Moss Wood Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon – 99 points
• Cabernet Sauvignon and Family – 2018 Mount Mary Quinet – 99 points
• Shiraz – 2018 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz – 99 points *Also Winner of the Wine of The Year Award
• Grenache and Blends – 2018 Brothers at War Single Vineyard Grenache – 99 points
• Shiraz Viognier – 2019 Serrat Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier – 98 points
• Other Red Varieties and Blends – Mayer Nebbiolo – 98 points
• Fortified – 1920 Seppeltsfield 100-Year-Old Para Liqueur – 100 points

Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!