Independent wine review panel, The Real Review, has unveiled its Top Wineries of Australia for 2023 after tasting more than 10,000 wines, with a Yarra Valley producer taking the top spot.
Winery of the Year was awarded to 45-year-old Yarra Valley producer Oakridge Wines. In 2022, the producer appeared at #18.
This is the third year running that a Victorian winery has taken out the Winery of the Year title, with Yarra Yering taking the title in 2021 and Wine by Farr in 2022.
The remaining top five of this year’s list were Morris (Rutherglen, VIC), Penfolds (Barossa Valley, SA), newcomer Eisenstone (Barossa Valley, SA), and Wendouree (Clare Valley, SA).
Big movers in this year’s ranking included Eisenstone Wines, which ranked #238 in 2022, now sitting just behind Penfolds at #4. Dedicated sparkling wine house Arras jumped from #197 to #19, while Adelaide Hills’ Murdoch Hill moved from 195 to #41. Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley, went from #275 in 2022 to #25 in 2023.
State-wise, South Australian wineries dominated the rankings, with 38 per cent of the 344 wineries representing the state. Victorian wineries followed closely behind with 26 per cent. Regionally, Barossa Valley and Margaret River topped the list, representing 12 per cent and 10 per cent of the Certificate winners, respectively.
New South Wales
Forty NSW-based wineries appeared in the Top Wineries of Australia rankings, with the Hunter Valley making up the lion’s share of spots. Clonakilla leads the pack coming in at #16, followed by Mount Pleasant (#22), Pepper Tree Wines (#32), Keith Tulloch Wines (#38) and Brokenwood Wines (#39), the top five NSW wineries in this year’s ranking.
South Australia
Thirty percent of the South Australian Top Wineries in this year’s ranking were from the Barossa Valley, with the region showing no signs of slowing its pursuit of the country’s best wines. South Australia also covered the most spots in the top 10, with Penfolds (#3), Eisenstone (#4), Wendouree (#6), Hardys (#7) and Henschke (#10) carving out the highest-ranked wineries in the state.
Tasmania
The small but mighty state of Tasmania is represented by 26 wineries in the Top Wineries of Australia list, with Tolpuddle (#9) as the state’s highest-ranked winery. Joining Tolpuddle was House of Arras (#19), Pooley Wines (#28), Derwent Estate (#37) and Pressing Matters (#46).
Victoria
The Yarra Valley leads the pack of Victorian wineries on this year’s list, with our Top Winery of 2023, Oakridge Wines flying the flag. Behind it, Morris (#2), Wine by Farr (last year’s top winery, #6), Yarra Yering (2021’s top winery, #11) and Bindi Wines (#12). There were 89 Victorian-based wineries in total to make this year’s list.
Western Australia
Out West, the Margaret River made up 62 per cent of the WA wineries in the Top Wineries list, with Stella Bella breaking into the top 10 at #8. 2020’s #1 winery, Cullen Wines, came in at #15, with Xanadu (#21), Howard Park Wines (#40) and Vasse Felix (#49) closing out the top five from WA.
2023 marks the sixth edition of The Real Review's annual ranking, with this year’s results highlighting evolving challenges in the Australian wine industry.
The ranking is determined by a proprietary algorithm, which takes into account the rating and recency of reviews by The Real Review’s panel of critics over two years. The producers recognised in the annual list receive a Top Wineries Certificate to showcase their standing amongst the nation’s best. Only 344 wineries have received a Top Wineries Certificate in this year’s edition, representing only 15 per cent of the total number of Australian wineries. This year, fifty-four new wineries made it onto the list.
