Results are in for the Halliday Wine Companion 2018

It has been proven once again that Accolade Wines has the most talented winemaking team in Australia with 52 of our wines receiving a rating of 95 or above in the newly released 2018 Halliday Wine Companion.

Hardys Tintara was also named one of the ‘Best Value Wineries’ this year against tough competition and received positive praise from James Halliday.
“This is a reminder that just because the wines come from a large company with vineyard sources from every state, it is still totally reliant on the skill and commitment of their winemakers, here led by the brilliance of chief winemaker Paul Lapsley. Hardys had more wines scoring 97 and above than any other winery in this year’s Wine Companion; only one (a fortified) did not receive a value rosette,” said Halliday.

Paul Lapsley said these results are a brilliant snapshot and affirmation of how good our wine quality is.

“Our team of super talented viticulturalists and winemakers have worked incredibly hard and their cumulative efforts showcase intense passion and dedication. I can’t think of another wine company in Australia who offers such a diverse and compelling range of wines,” he said.

Tasting almost 10,000 wines for the annual Halliday Wine Companion guide, and whittling those down to a select few award winners, is no mean feat for 77-year-old James Halliday and his small team of expert reviewers.

Halliday noted some trends among the wines from this year’s Halliday Wine Companion guide.

“The Barossa and McLaren Vale have an increasing number of wineries with lower than traditional alcohol levels in the red wines, led by Shiraz and Grenache.
“Fresher and more vibrant wines are the result, and I hope that we’ll see a strengthening of that trend in future vintages. The standout varietal is chardonnay. Whether reduction in oak levels and earlier picking is driven by winemaker conviction or public demand is a good question. I incline to the view that it has been driven by winemakers, but has resonated with many consumers who had turned their back on oaky, buttercup yellow, fat chardonnays.”

All our wineries maintained their star rating from last year; Amberley received 3/4 black stars and every other winery was given 5/5 red stars. The only exception was Knappstein which changed from a 5/5 black stars to 5/5 red stars. This means that overall the wines tasted from the previous two years were of better quality.
Congratulations to all of our talented winemaking teams.

The following wines from Accolade’s portfolio received a rating of 95 or above.