How Halliday Really Judges 9000 Australian Wines

What really goes into reviewing thousands of Australian wines and selecting the very best for the Halliday Wine Companion? To celebrate the release of the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion and the annual Halliday Awards, Halliday’s Head of Tasting and General Manager, Katrina Butler, takes us behind the scenes of Australia’s most comprehensive wine guide. Katrina explains the wine submission process, how the Halliday Tasting Team assesses quality and maintains consistency, and why the reviews are written with everyday wine drinkers in mind. The conversation also explores score inflation, the value of bronze-medal wines, and how to remain objective when wine tasting is inherently subjective. Katrina reveals how approximately 9000 wines are narrowed down for the Companion and how the country’s best bottles are selected through blind judging. You’ll also hear how winners are chosen across categories including Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery and the James Halliday Hall of Fame. Plus, Katrina and host Anna Webster discuss the current state of Australian wine, the growing diversity of grape varieties, the increasing prominence of women in wine and why the quality of Australian wine has never been stronger. Halliday Wine CompanionFollow Halliday Wine Companion on InstagramFollow Anna Webster on InstagramFollow Katrina Butler on InstagramOrder the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion In this episode:How wineries can submit wines to Halliday Wine CompanionWhat Halliday’s critics look for when reviewing a wineBlind tasting versus reviewing wines by producerHow critics manage palate fatigueThe difference between Halliday reviews and wine show judgingHow a nine-person Tasting Team maintains consistent scoresWhether score inflation is affecting the 100-point wine systemWhy bronze-medal wines deserve more recognitionHow approximately 9000 wines are narrowed down for the CompanionHow the annual Halliday Wine Companion Awards are judgedWhat makes a winery worthy of Winery of the YearThe strict criteria wines must meet to be inducted into the Halliday Hall of FameHow climate change and market conditions are reshaping Australian wineWhy Australian wine belongs on the world stage Whether you’re a winemaker considering submitting your wines, a collector searching for the best Australian bottles or simply curious about how wine scores and awards are determined, this episode offers a rare look inside the Halliday Wine Companion tasting and judging process. This podcast was recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge them as the enduring custodians of this Country, and we recognise their continuing cultural practices of caring for the land and waters. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We extend that respect to the Traditional Owners of the many lands across Australia and beyond whose wineries and stories we are privileged to share.