Award winning wineries live here
THE 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards have been released after James Halliday and his team of tasters sampled more than 9000 wines from all over Australia.
Only a handful of exceptional producers are chosen by the expert panel and awarded their highest accolades for the ‘best of’ the year.
In Victoria, we are blessed with some truly perfect and unique regions for grape growing and wine producing and many of our regular advertisers in the North East, High Country and Goulburn Murray Tourist News magazine have featured in the list at one time or another.
There are more than 800 wineries and 600 cellar doors in 20 wine regions across Victoria which means you’re sure to find some of Australia’s best and most consistent top-quality wines right here in our own state.
All wineries - large and small - have felt the impacts of the challenging first nine months of 2020. Over the Christmas/New Year period they fought to save their livelihoods which were threatened by the bushfires. Then the coronavirus pandemic arrived and put a halt to much of their normal operations. Lockdowns and gathering restrictions affected them from holding annual events like the Queen’s Birthday weekend celebrations, weekly classes and workshops, cellar door sales and onsite restaurant meals.
Still, most wineries have found a way to continue to supply their customers, offering home delivery, extending their existing delivery services and even offering home delivery or takeaway from the restaurant side of their businesses and have been heartened by the support they have received from locals.
We know that our wineries will come back bigger and better in the months to come and we will celebrate and look forward to enjoying their pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, durif and nebbiolo, prosecco, Riesling, fiano and vermentino drops with friends and family, and with the winemakers themselves just as soon as we can.