A Barossa Valley Grenache has taken out one of Australia’s most prestigious wine competitions, beating a field of 169 wines from across the country to claim the top honour at the 2026 James Halliday Grenache Challenge.
The Orlando 2025 Cellar 13 Grenache was announced as this year’s winner on Friday, November 6, following a closely contested judging process that brought together some of Australia’s leading wine experts in McLaren Vale.
Now in its tenth year, the James Halliday Grenache Challenge celebrates one of Australia’s increasingly popular red wine varieties, with entries from wine regions across the country competing for national recognition.
This year’s judging took place on October 20, with 169 single-varietal Grenache wines assessed for their quality, character and expression of the grape.
Chair of Judges Toby Barlow said the winning Orlando wine stood out during the final rounds.
“The Orlando Cellar 13 Grenache is a worthy winner of the 2026 James Halliday Grenache Challenge, and a wine the panel kept returning to through the final rounds.”
“It’s a great example of modern Australian grenache. Incredibly bright colour with density, lifted varietal aromatics with skilful winemaking bringing complexity and a palate that is both generous and detailed.”
The competition was particularly fierce this year, with six Grenache wines representing three different regions making it through to the final taste-off.
Barlow said the winning wine’s ability to deliver richness while maintaining brightness and elegance ultimately secured its place at the top.
For Orlando Chief Winemaker Paul Gobell, the award represents an exciting achievement for the Barossa winery and its winemaking team.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see our 2025 Cellar 13 Grenache take out this award, particularly among such an impressive field of wines from across Australia.”
“Grenache is an exciting variety for the Barossa, and we’ve worked hard to capture its vibrant fruit, depth and elegance in this wine. It’s fantastic recognition for Orlando and a credit to the passion and dedication of our vineyard and winemaking teams.”
The judges also highlighted two other standout wines from the competition, encouraging Grenache lovers to seek out the Big Easy Radio 2025 Perpetual Holidaze Grenache and S.C. Pannell 2024 Little Branch Grenache alongside the winning Orlando release.
The overall standard of entries impressed judges, who noted the diversity of Australian Grenache, from vibrant, aromatic styles to richer, savoury wines with structure and depth.
According to the judging panel, the strongest entries displayed fresh fruit characteristics, lifted aromas, fine tannins and a restrained approach to oak, allowing the individual vineyard and vintage to shine.
Hosted annually by the McLaren Vale Wine Region since 2017, the James Halliday Grenache Challenge has become an important national benchmark for the variety, providing an opportunity to track how Australian winemakers are developing their styles.
This year’s judging panel included international judge Richard Hemming MW, alongside winemakers and industry experts from across Australia.
For South Australian wine lovers, the result is another reason to celebrate the state’s winemaking talent, with a Barossa Grenache taking the national crown at a competition hosted in McLaren Vale.
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