Four Australian wines – from Wirra Wirra Vineyards, Xanadu Wines, Barossa Old Vine Company, and Trentham Estate – have received Best in Show medals at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), one of the world’s largest and most influential wine competitions.
Since launching in 2004, DWWA has established a reputation for rigorous judging. At this year’s awards, wines from 57 countries were evaluated by 248 top international wine experts, from 35 countries, the highest in the competition's history.
Medals awarded at DWWA range from the top-tier 50 Best in Show, then Platinum and Gold (all scoring 95+ points) followed by Silver and Bronze. This year the 50 Best in Show medals represented just 0.3 per cent of wines tasted.
Australia boasted 80 top-scoring wines – including four Best in Show, 11 Platinum, and 65 Gold medals – and 643 total medals, with 92 per cent of Australian entries receiving an award. It claimed the top spot for medal yield, a new metric recognising the number of medals earned relative to a country’s vineyard area, with 4.04 medals per 1,000 hectares.
DWWA Australian co-chair, Huon Hooke, said the country continues its well-established history of punching above its weight, placing fourth in total medal count behind the big three – France, Italy, and Spain.
“While there was a slight dip in the number of ‘Best in Show’ awards, a strong overall medal count has placed Australia first in the new metric of medals per hectare of vineyard area,” said Hooke.
“The mix of regions and producers was also heartening, with some of our most renowned wineries performing as expected, but also some lesser-known names emerging to receive well-deserved recognition.”
The Australian Best in Show medals were awarded to:
- Wirra Wirra, The 12th Man Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2024
- Xanadu, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Western Australia 2022
- Barossa Old Vine Company, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2022
- Trentham Estate, Reserve Shiraz, Heathcote, Victoria 2023
South Australia was the strongest performing region, receiving 309 medals in total.
Judges stated of the Wirra Wirra 12th Man Chardonnay: “Adelaide Hills Chardonnay has made five appearances in our Best in Show selection, one more than Western Australia’s Margaret River has notched up; these are clearly landmark regions not just in national but also global terms for Chardonnay-lovers.”
There was one Platinum for a wine from McLaren Vale and 19 Golds from South Australia.
Margaret River in Western Australia was the standout subregion in Australia, with the results maintaining its global reputation for premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
It received a Best in Show for Xanadu, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022. Judges commended the area, stating: “We’ve known it since back in the 1960s; when John Gladstones first suggested that Cabernet Sauvignon and Margaret River might make a fruitful partnership. This is the fifth appearance for Margaret River Cabernet in our Best in Show selection, confirming it yet again.”
Victoria continues to rise through the ranks with 16 total top-tier medals, including one Best in Show for Trentham Estate, Reserve Shiraz, Heathcote 2023. There were four Platinum medals, including two for Morris from Rutherglen, and one each for Beechworth and Yarra Valley.
Tasmania showed a solid performance in the cool-climate variety Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay, receiving a Platinum medal for Bay of Fires Pinot Noir 2023, and 10 Gold medals.
New South Wales earned a Platinum for Brokenwood, Ilr Reserve Semillon, Hunter Valley 2019 and four Gold medals.
Australia’s strength in delivering Gold medal wines at accessible price points was evident again, with several entries receiving a Value Gold (under £15), one of which made it to the Top 30 Value Golds List for Mcguigan, Bin 9000 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales 2018.
