Victoria is home to its fair share of excellent wineries, from the rolling vineyards of the Yarra Valley to the cool climate drops from the Grampians. And while we all have our personal favourites, it’s always interesting to see which wineries take the critic’s pick. Every year, the Halliday Wine Companion Awards are released – Australia’s most respected celebration of wine, recognising the nation’s top talent across winemaking, viticulture and wineries. In the 2026 awards, Victorian vineyards cleaned up – with our grape-filled state winning more varietal award categories than any other.
The major winner from Victoria in this year’s awards was Elanto Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, which took home gold in the Best New Winery category. This beautiful high-density vineyard was planted among the Mornington Peninsula hills in 2019, with its first crop in 2023, and was described by Halliday’s head of tasting Katrina Butler as “a future icon in the making”.
Elanto Vineyard is open for visits by appointment only. Keen? You can book here.
Although Elanto was the key winner from the state, there were plenty of other Victorian wineries that received recognition in this year’s awards.
In the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, Victorian winners include Tar and Roses (which won pinot grigio of the year), Yarra Yering (which took home gold in the Cabernet and Blends of the Year category for their Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023), Sutton Grange Winery (which won in the Rosé of the Year category), All Saints Estate (the Rutherglen Museum Muscadelle was awarded Fortified Wine of the Year) and Lethbridge Wines (the Yellow NV Geelong took home gold for Wildcard of the Year).
Other Victorian wineries shortlisted in this year’s awards include Giaconda and Oakridge for Winery of the Year; Adam Foster and Timo Mayer for Winemaker of the Year; Troy McInnes and Stephen Sadlier for Viticulturist of the Year; Altera Terra, Dappled Wines and Garagiste for Best Value Winery; and Trapeze for Dark Horse Winery.
You can explore the full list of this year’s winners (and plan your vineyard tours accordingly) here.
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