Australia's best winery, according to James Halliday, is just an hour's drive from Melbourne. Family-owned Seville Estate, in the Yarra Valley, took out the top gong as Winery of the Year in the Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2019.
Chief winemaker and general manager Dylan McMahon is the third generation making wine at the site, which McMahon's grandmother selected. “My grandmother Margaret chose this site for its sheer beauty, and it was [Dylan's grandfather] Pete’s drive and determination to make great cool climate wines from it,” McMahon says.
Seville also won Best Pinot Noir of the Year for its 2017 Estate Old Vine pinot. Halliday and the tasting panel gave it 99 points. The pinot noir will be available for sale from October 5. The 2015 Seville Estate Dr McMahon Shiraz also won Shiraz of the Year, beating competition from warmer climes.
Seville wasn't the only Victorian winner on the night, with Provenance Wines in Geelong named the Best Value Winery of the Year. Provenance was founded in the mid-1990s and sources grapes in the Geelong and Ballarat regions. And Principal Wines on the Mornington Peninsula was named Dark Horse Winery of the Year.