8 Australian wines beat 18,000 competitors at Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

Last Updated: 12 Jul 2024

Abigail Macleod

The Decanter World Wine Awards in London is the world’s most influential wine show with judges tasting 18,000 of the world’s finest wines.

Only 50 wines are awarded the coveted Best in Show title. To get to this level, wines go through two rounds of blind tasting and three separate approvals by a regional panel, a Co-Chair, and then Platinum judging, before a fourth tasting and sign-off.

In 2024, eight of the top 50 wines were from Australia with all states represented except for Victoria and Queensland.

Margaret River in Western Australia had two winners with their leading varietals, Chardonay and Cab Sauv: Fermoy Estate’s 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Stella Bella’s 2022 Luminosa Chardonnay. It’s an extraordinary achievement for what is regarded as one of Australia’s most successful regions producing fine wines.

Tasmania’s renowned Pinot Noir’s featured twice and also achieved 97 points, the best score out of 18,000 wines, with the Bay of Fires 2022 Pinot Noir and Lowestoft 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir.

Australia’s largest wine producing state, South Australia, had three winners with lesser known varieties: Chaffey Bros. 2022 Evangeline Syrah, Red Knot by Shingleback 2022 Classified GSM and Penny’s Hill 2023 Yeenunga Grenache.

New South Wales had just the one winner this year with the McGuigan 2014 Bin 9000 Semillon from the Hunter Valley.

Here’s what the judges had to say about each of the wines. For a complete guide to more than 1,800 wineries, visit the Localista Winery Guide.

Tasmania winners

Bay of Fires 2022 Pinot Noir

Bay of Fires winery is headed by chief winemaker Stewart Byrne and grow and hand pick their grapes. After working with Margaret River’s Stella Bella wines, Byrne is not only a skilled winemaker but also actively engages in wine-show judging.

Their winning wine is described as ‘bright, vibrant red in colour, the perfume of this wine is very complex with sweet ripe strawberry fruit characters, complemented with anise and cinnamon plum blossom spice.’ You can get a bottle of this award-winning wine here.

Lowestoft 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir

Currently under the expertise of Chief Winemaker Liam McElhinney, Lowestoft are continuing a winemaking tradition that stretches back to the very first member of the Fogarty winemaking family to emigrate to Tasmania in the 1800s. With a focus on producing luxury, Burgundy-style wines, the winery is now at the forefront of the Fogarty Group, producing a host of award-winning wines.

Lowestoft’s 2022 Pinot Noir was awarded 97 points at this year’s Decanter awards, making it the highest-scoring wine out of the 18,000 judged. Described by judges as “pure, bright and mouthfilling, packed with juicy raspberry [with a] touch of tarry complexity behind [the fruit]”. Also highly commended by wine legends James Halliday and Jimmy Watson, you can buy this showstopping wine in a single-vineyard six-pack here.

Western Australia winners

Fermoy Estate 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Fermoy Estate is located in Wilyabrup, considered by many as the ‘golden triangle’ of Margaret River, growing mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Shiraz. Jeremy Hodgson was appointed Senior Winemaker in 2015. With a first-class degree in oenology and viticulture, Jeremy has worked with various Western Australian wineries, including Houghton, Goundrey, Plantagenet, Cherubino Consulting and Wise Wines.

Fermoy’s 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has been described by judges as an easy-drinking, blackcurrant-heavy red, with an opaque black-red colour. You can get your hands on this award-winning bottle here.

Stella Bella 2022 Luminosa Chardonnay

Rated amongst the best wineries in Australia, Stella Bella pride themselves on continuously evolving to create beautiful wines that create a memorable wine experience. Headed by chief winemaker Luke Jolliffe and viticulturist James Hayward, Stella Bella create their award-winning wines with grapes sourced from five vineyards across southern Margaret River.

Stella Bella’s 2022 Luminosa Chardonnay is the fourth Margaret River Chardonnay in five years to win Best in Show at the Decanter Awards. Described as a pale green-gold in colour, this wine is said to have a zesty citrus palate with a floral aroma that’s guaranteed to keep you coming back for more. While the 2022 Luminosa Chardonnay has sold out, you can register here to be the first to know when their much-anticipated 2023 vintage becomes available.

South Australia winners

Chaffey Bros. 2021 Evangeline Syrah

Chaffey Bros. was founded by brothers-in-law Daniel Chaffey Hartwig and Theo Engela (and has recently been joined by winemaker Huon Fechner), who describe themselves as part perfumiers, part historians and part mad scientists. Crafting handmade wines from epic low-yielding vineyards in the Barossa & Eden Valleys in South Australia, all of their wines are 100% un-fined, making them textural and naturally vegan.

Chaffey Bros. Best in Show Syrah is described as “distinct from its Barossa Valley brethren with its lifted perfume and delicate structure. Cool blue fruits are intertwined with silky tannins and subtle oak influence from 18 months maturation in fine grain French oak puncheons and hogshead barrels. Perfumed. Confident. Elegant”. Get your hands on this wine before it sells out here.

Penny’s Hill 2023 Yeenunga Grenache

Penny’s Hill was founded in 1988 on the rolling foothills east of McLaren Vale. Named Penny’s Hill Vineyard after the hill at the base of which it is sited, the property was planted to vines in 1991 to a unique narrow-row configuration to maximise vineyard productivity and grape and wine quality. Headed by chief winemaker Alexia Roberts, Penny’s Hill is pioneering the success of women in the winemaking industry, creating incredible, sustainable red wines.

Their 2023 Grenache, which took home Best in Show, is described as having a liqueur-like cherry and strawberry palate, deep tannins and hints of dried herb and subtle savouriness. You can buy this incredible red here.

Red Knot by Shingleback 2022 Classified GSM

Shingleback wine has been a part of the McLaren Vale landscape for more than twenty-five years. Headed by winemaker Mark Jamieson, Shingleback specialise in structured reds, with the Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon named as some of Australia’s best.

Shingleback’s Best in Show wine is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mouvedre grapes, lending it a deep, cherry red colour. This stunning red has been described as A powerful wine dominated by black fruits, chocolate and cherries with a rich, dark and brooding palate balanced with textured mouth filling tannins. This wine has sold out, but you can shop other Shingleback wines here.

New South Wales winner

McGuigan 2014 Bin 9000 Semillon

With four generations and over 100 years of winemaking to draw on, the McGuigan family has been a driving force in the Hunter Valley. Creating incredible wine at a more affordable price point, McGuigan’s wines have been highly commended in wine shows across Australia and the global stage.

McGuigan’s winning wine was the sixth Hunter Valley Semillon to win Best in Show. The wine is described as “green-silver in colour, with a pungent petrichor and bean-flour aroma and a quenching flavour driven by the wine’s lime-laden acid cut”. You can grab this affordable award-winner here.

Top 50 world winners list

Argentina

Australia