Barossa winery takes home Best Riesling and Best White Wine trophies at prestigious regional wine show

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Hentley Farm has given its white wines plenty to celebrate after taking home two trophies at the 2026 Barossa Wine Show.

The Barossa winery picked up the award for Best 2026 Riesling for its Eden Valley Riesling, while its 2026 Mt Crawford Garganega was named Best White Wine, Other Varieties or Blends.

While the Barossa is famous for its big reds, the two wins highlight the diversity of white varieties being grown across the region, including one variety that Adelaide wine lovers might not immediately associate with South Australia.

“Taking home two trophies was an amazing achievement, particularly because it gave us an opportunity to celebrate our white wines,” shared Hentley Farm Marketing Manager Jessica Jenner. “We have enormous confidence in the quality coming from Eden Valley and our Mount Crawford vineyard. To see both recognised at the Barossa Wine Show was a proud moment for everyone involved.”

The 2026 Eden Valley Riesling was made using fruit selected from five vineyard blocks, sitting between approximately 420 and 450 metres above sea level. The higher altitude and cooler growing conditions of Eden Valley play an important role in the wine’s character, allowing the grapes to develop flavour while retaining their natural acidity.

The 2026 vintage brings bright citrus flavours, freshness and a distinctive mineral edge, making a wine that is drinking well now but can also be cellared to watch it develop.

“Riesling was a real highlight of the 2026 vintage, particularly in the higher, cooler parts of Eden Valley,” shared Jessica. “It was a later, more extended vintage, and the wines have lovely freshness and flavour. What we particularly love about 2026 is that slaty minerality alongside the bright citrus flavours and natural acidity. There’s a lovely balance to it.”

As for the Garganega, it’s an Italian white grape variety that is perhaps better known for its connection to Soave in Italy than the Barossa, but Hentley Farm has been growing it at its Mount Crawford vineyard on the southern edge of the region, bordering the Adelaide Hills.

The vineyard was established by former Orlando chief winemaker Robin Day, who planted several alternative grape varieties including Garganega. For Hentley Farm, the variety offered an opportunity to explore what a cooler vineyard site could produce.

“Garganega brings something a little different to the region and shows the importance of matching the variety to the right site. Mount Crawford’s cooler conditions allow the fruit to develop flavour while retaining natural acidity.  It’s a variety we love, and our members love and we hope it encourages others to be a little more adventurous with their whites and discover what these less familiar varieties can offer.”

The trophy win is also a reminder that there is more to Barossa wine than Shiraz and other traditional varieties. Eden Valley has long been recognised for its Riesling, while vineyards at higher and cooler sites such as Mount Crawford can provide opportunities for varieties that thrive in different conditions.

For Hentley Farm, the two trophies also reinforce its focus on expressing the differences between vineyard sites.

“Everything starts in the vineyard,” said Jessica. “Site selection and understanding the different soils, aspects and microclimates allow us to make wines with a real sense of place. We’re so fortunate to be making wine in the Barossa. It’s a phenomenal region, with incredible diversity across its vineyards, and these two wines are a great example of what it can offer.”

And there could be more white wine experimentation on the horizon. Hentley Farm has hinted at an upcoming white wine project, with Jessica saying the winery has a few projects in the pipeline that it looks forward to sharing.

For now, Adelaide wine lovers can discover both trophy-winning wines through Hentley Farm’s Cellar Door and online, with the winery hoping the wines encourage drinkers to look beyond the more familiar varieties.