Best’s Wines Takes Home 2027 Halliday Riesling of the Year
The Halliday Wine Companion Awards are always a thrill to attend. Industry gathers, friends reunite, and there’s real excitement as the award-winning wines are revealed. This year 7500 wines were reviewed, making the results even sweeter for the Best’s Wines team.
It’s with much pride that we announce Best’s Wines has been awarded the 2027 Halliday Riesling of the Year for our 2025 Foudre Ferment Riesling. Ben and Nicole Thomson were in attendance, alongside winemakers Jacob Parton and Dom Bolton, to accept the award on behalf of the Great Western team.
Ben Thomson said: “I’m particularly chuffed to win this accolade twice. The first one was good, but to win this is amazing. It helps the region and Great Western. It’s a particularly special accolade in our 160th anniversary year.”
Once again, Best’s received 5 red star rating ★★★★★ “a winery generally acknowledged to have held a long track record of excellence, typically having held a 5-star rating for 10 years. Truly the best of the best.”
The Best’s Foudre Ferment Riesling: A Great Western Icon
The Foudre Ferment Riesling is proving to be an exceptional example of Great Western Riesling, consistently acknowledged for its unique style. You may recall the 2021 Foudre Ferment Riesling previously took out the 2023 Halliday Wine Companion Wine of the Year.
On this year’s 2025 vintage, Jeni Port noted:
“A wine that says ‘not only is it OK to place Riesling in oak, but it can open up a wonderful world of flavour and texture.’ Aromatic honeysuckle florals and exotic ginger and lemongrass aromas mingle with citrus, pear and apple. Builds on the palate oh-so delicately but deeply with a warm textural mouthfeel. Oak contributes to the umami and a leesy almond mealy-ness, while the purity of Riesling fruit shines brightly. A stunner from a top vintage.” Rating: 98 points
Katrina Butler from Halliday Wine Companion noted “There were eight wines in the final flight, and the top three were split by just a single point. Acknowledgements are well deserved for Jim Barry Wines with its Spring Farm Block 114 Riesling 2016 and the iconic Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2025. The best of the bracket was Best’s Wines Foudre Ferment Riesling 2025; this is the second time the wine has won this award.”
You can purchase the 2025 Foudre Ferment Riesling here
Strong Halliday Results for Best’s Wines
It was a wonderful night for Best’s Wines. 6 wines were rated 94 points or above in the Halliday Wine Companion, including:
- 2025 Foudre Ferment Riesling – 98 points
- 2025 Great Western Riesling – 97 points
- 2020 Thomson Family Shiraz – 95 points
- 2025 Great Western Rosé -95 points
- 2022 Bin No. 1 Shiraz – 94 points
- 2022 LSV Shiraz – 94 points
- 2025 Young Vine Pinot Meunier – 93 points
- 2025 Pinot Noir – 92 points
Other accolades to acknowledge
Our Managing Director Ben Thomson was shortlisted for Viticulturist of the Year.
Jeni Port noted,
“Ben Thomson is a constant feature out in the vineyard and has been for more than 40 years. This is not to suggest that he is removed from the winemaking process, far from it. Ensuring the continuing longevity of old vines as they become centenarians and ancestor wines – among the oldest producing vines in the world – is no easy task.”
Congratulations to Ashley Ratcliff from Ricca Terra, who took out the award. Good friend of Best’s, Steve Flamsteed, was named Winemaker of the Year, and fellow Australian First Families of Wine member Bruce Tyrrell was inducted into the Halliday Hall of Fame.
You can find all of the winners of the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion awards on their website including more information on the varietal winners .
