South Australian wineries shine at Royal Adelaide Wine Awards
Adelaide Hills producers claim top honours for Pinot Noir and sparkling wine as South Australia secures 12 trophies at the national competition.
South Australian wineries have claimed almost half of the trophies at the 2026 Royal Adelaide Wine Awards, with established producers and alternative grape varieties among the highlights of this year’s competition.
A total of 12 of the 26 trophies on offer went to South Australian wineries, with awards recognising excellence across red and white wines, sparkling varieties and wines with a strong sense of regional provenance.
The Adelaide Hills was a standout performer, with Sidewood Estate taking the Lallemand Australia Trophy for Best Pinot Noir in Show and Simon Tolley Wines winning the Hurtle and Norman Walker Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine.
The results provide a boost for the region’s producers, according to chair of judges Samantha Connew.
“These are categories that have traditionally been dominated by Tasmania, so it was great to see the Adelaide Hills feature so strongly this year,” she said.
The Pinot Noir result also comes against a backdrop of South Australian success in the variety over the years. Starve Dog Lane won a Pinot Noir trophy in 2009, highlighting the state’s long history of producing wines capable of competing at the highest level.
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At the top of the overall results, Evans & Tate’s 2024 Redbrook Estate Chardonnay won the George Fairbrother Memorial Trophy for Most Outstanding White Wine in Show, while Berton Vineyards’ 2023 Metal Label The Black Shiraz Limited Release took the Max Schubert AM Trophy for Most Outstanding Red Wine in Show.
Berton Vineyards also won Best Shiraz in Show and Best Shiraz 2023 Vintage and Older, reinforcing the strong showing for its flagship red wine.
The Governor’s Trophies for the best South Australian entries went to two different regions and varieties. Naked Run Wines received the award for Best South Australian White Wine in Show for its 2026 Place in Time Sevenhill Riesling, while Serafino Wines won Best South Australian Red Wine in Show for its 2024 Serafino Reserve Grenache.
Both wines will be served at Government House during official engagements over the next 12 months.
Riesling was another highlight of the awards, with Connew describing the 2026 class as particularly competitive.
“There were six golds awarded, but we had 10 lovely wines that the panel chairs called back to have another look at which is just outstanding,” she said.
Naked Run Wines’ Place in Time Sevenhill Riesling also won the Barrel Finance & Logistics Trophy for Best Riesling in Show, adding to its recognition among the state’s leading white wines.
The awards also recognised the growing strength of alternative varieties, as Australian winemakers continue to broaden their plantings and explore grapes suited to local growing conditions.
The Pawn Wine Company won the Karl Seppelt AO Trophy for Best Other Varietal Red in Show for its 2025 Malbec.
Connew said the alternative red classes were another highlight, with the quality of entries reflecting greater experience with the varieties and increasingly mature vines.
“We’re seeing these categories become stronger and stronger, with winemakers having more experience with the varieties and greater vine age,” she said.
“There were beautiful examples of Tempranillos, Nero d’Avolas, Montepulcianos, and Sangioveses.”
Fiano also recorded a significant increase in entries, rising from seven in 2025 to 43 this year, suggesting growing interest in alternative white varieties among Australian producers.
Beyond South Australia, trophy winners came from four states, reflecting the competition’s national reach and the diversity of wine styles being produced across the country.
Leo Buring won the Gramp, Hardy, Hill-Smith Trophy for National Wine of Provenance for three vintages of its Leonay Riesling, while winemaker Marie Clay received the F Miller & Co Prize for Winemaker of the National Wine of Provenance.
The Royal Adelaide Wine Awards, formerly known as the Royal Adelaide Wine Show, was the first Australian wine show to introduce provenance classes. This year, the competition expanded those classes to include sparkling wines for the first time.
Connew said entries had remained steady despite pressure on participation at other capital city wine shows, reflecting the competition’s standing within the industry.
The awards bring together hundreds of wineries, with wines judged over four days by a panel of judges from across Australia through an independent process that determines medal and trophy winners.
The full list of 2026 Royal Adelaide Wine Awards results is available at rahs.com.au/wine-awards
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