Yarra Yering has been named Winery of the Year in The Real Review, marking the third time the Yarra Valley producer has taken the top spot – the most of any winery in the history of the rankings.
“You can’t win this kind of recognition three times by chance, and you certainly can’t engineer it in a single year,” says winemaker and general manager, Sarah Crowe.
“It is the result of sustained effort, of decisions made and work done years earlier.”
Melissa Moore, The Real Review’s most recent tasting panel addition, says, “To see Yarra Yering secure three Winery of the Year titles in the last six years is a remarkable demonstration of their consistency.
“It’s no mean feat for a winery to maintain this level of excellence year after year, but the partnership between Sarah Crowe and vineyard manager Andrew George is close and genuinely collaborative.
“This year, their lineup was headlined by a series of spectacular 98-point reviews, including the Dry Red Wine No. 1, Dry Red No. 2, Underhill Shiraz and Carrodus Chardonnay.
“To have a suite of wines consistently reaching that top tier confirms that Yarra Yering remains at the absolute top of its game.”
Yarra Yering’s victory solidifies a dominant era for Victorian viticulture, marking the sixth consecutive year a winery from the state has claimed the national title.
Rounding out the elite top five are Levantine Hill (#2, Yarra Valley), Wendouree (#3, Clare Valley), Penfolds (#4, SA) and Tyrrell’s Wines (#5, Hunter Valley).
Of the 429 highest-ranking wineries, South Australia claimed the largest share at 34.3 percent, followed closely by Victoria at 26.1 percent.
New South Wales (15.2 percent), Western Australia (14.9 percent), and Tasmania (7.7 percent) were also well represented in the list.
Regionally, the Barossa Valley remains a powerhouse, accounting for 11.7 percent of the ranked wineries, while the Margaret River followed just behind on 9.3 percent.
South Australian producers won six of the nine trophies.
Louisa Rose from Yalumba won the Len Evans Prize, awarded to those in Australian wine who display wide-reaching leadership, innovation and achievement.
She was recognised for over 30 vintages with Australia’s oldest family-owned winery.
“Louisa has advanced the industry through her work with the Australian Wine Research Institute and her role as a judge across a multitude of wine competitions,” The Real Review principal wine writer Huon Hooke says.
The Real Review’s tasting panel assessed more than 10,000 wines.
This year, 429 producers received a Top Wineries Certificate, roughly 15.9 percent of Australia’s over 2,700 producers.
Category Award Winners
Vigneron of the Year
Steve Pannell – S.C. Pannell (McLaren Vale)
Rising Star of the Year
Aaron Mercer – Mercer Wines (Hunter Valley)
Len Evans Prize
Louise Rose – Yalumba
Sparkling Wine of the Year
Deviation Road Beltana Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2018 (Adelaide Hills)
White Wine of the Year
Fighting Gully Road Smiths’ Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 (Beechworth)
Rosé Wine of the Year
Chaffey Bros Wine Co. Not Your Grandma’s Rosé 2025 (Barossa)
Red Wine of the Year
Thistledown Sands of Time Old Vine Blewitt Springs Grenache 2024 (McLaren Vale)
Sweet Wine of the Year
Rieslingfreak No.8 Polish Hill River Schatzkammer Riesling 2025 (Clare Valley)
Fortified Wine of the Year
Campbells Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat NV (Rutherglen)
State highlights
Victoria
Victoria maintained its stronghold at the top of the rankings, securing the top two positions and accounting for 26.1 percent of the Top Wineries of Australia list. Led by Yarra Yering (#1) and Levantine Hill (#2), the state’s elite performers included Wine by Farr (#7), Chambers Rosewood (#9) and Giant Steps (#13). Victoria’s strength in specialised styles was further highlighted by Fighting Gully Road (Beechworth) winning White Wine of the Year and Campbells (Rutherglen) taking home Fortified Wine of the Year. The state also boasted the list’s most significant ‘climbers’, with Stanton & Killeen surging 219 places to #39 and Eastern Peake jumping 118 spots to break into the top 30.
South Australia
South Australia claimed the largest overall share of the country’s elite producers, representing 34.3 percent of the total list. The state’s top-tier was led by the legendary Wendouree (#3), followed by Penfolds (#4), Henschke (#6), Thistledown (#10) and Yalumba (#11). South Australia dominated the category awards, sweeping six of the nine titles. Notable winners included Steve Pannell (Vigneron of the Year), Louisa Rose (Len Evans Prize), and Chaffey Bros, whose $25 Barossa Rosé was named Rosé Wine of the Year. Other accolades included Sparkling Wine of the Year (Deviation Road), Red Wine of the Year (Thistledown), and Sweet Wine of the Year (Rieslingfreak).
New South Wales
New South Wales New South Wales accounted for 15.2 percent of the Top Wineries of Australia ranking, with the Hunter Valley proving to be the state’s most consistent performing region, contributing 5.8 percent of the list. Tyrrell’s Wines led the state at #5, followed by Brokenwood (#17) and Lake’s Folly (#26). The state’s future looks bright with the Rising Star of the Year awarded to Aaron Mercer of Mercer Wines in the Hunter Valley. Clonakilla proved itself to be one to watching, jumping 110 places to #28.
Tasmania
Tasmania was the third best performing wine region, with a 7.7 percent share of the Top Wineries of Australia list. The top scorer of the region was House of Arras (#16) followed by Delamere (#18), showing that sparkling wine is leading the way for the state. A notable inclusion was Chatto Wines, which leapt 161 places this year to reach #38.
Western Australia
Margaret River was one of the top performing regions with a 9.3 percent share. The highest achievers locally were Cullen (#8), Moss Wood (#21) and Stella Bella Wines (#34).