2026 PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show Media Release

For release – Friday 14 August 2026

Sixteen Hunter Valley producers were celebrated with trophies at today's 2026 PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show celebration luncheon at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort.

The 54th Show attracted 69 exhibitors and 652 entries, judged over three days at Singleton Showground, assisted by the School of Infantry and led by an expert panel chaired by Toni Paterson, Master of Wine. Merrick Watts hosted the luncheon as Master of Ceremonies.

Dr Jamie Goode from the UK was welcomed as International Judge. One of the world's leading voices on wine chemistry, viticulture, and the psychology of tasting, Jamie combines a PhD in plant biology with over two decades at the forefront of wine communication. As the founder of the world-renowned website wineanorak.com, he is also the author of multiple award-winning books and blogs. A Co-Chair of the International Wine Challenge, he brings extensive judging experience across major competitions worldwide, while also serving as a wine columnist for The Sunday Express and a contributor to Decanter, Noble Rot, and The World of Fine Wine. 

Jamie reflected on his time at the Show ‘the Hunter Valley has this beautiful historical thread, and its location is quite unique, so when you come here and taste the wines you discover this place is producing some fantastic wines’.

Returning for her second year as Chair of the Hunter Valley Wine Show, Toni commented ‘my main takeaway was that the wines are just getting better. You see such evolution in the wines of the Hunter Valley at the moment, with people actively trying different things to produce better and charming wines that the market is demanding’.

Commenting on the shiraz classes, Jamie said ‘I was most impressed by the shiraz. The focus, precision and age worthiness of the shiraz brackets are quite unlike anything else in Australia’. Toni added ‘these wines would sit well in any contemporary red line up from around the world. That was probably the most exciting element for me’.

The Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy for Best Red Wine of Show was awarded to De Iuliis Wines for their 2023 Limited Release Shiraz, which also received the Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy for Best Shiraz and the James Busby Memorial Trophy for Best Three-Year-Old and Older Shiraz.

The Thomas Wines 2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz was awarded the Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard Red Wine, as well as the Stibbard-Hulin Trophy for Best Two-Year Old Shiraz. Best Current Vintage and One-Year Old Shiraz, the Alexander Munro Memorial Trophy, was also awarded to Thomas Wines for their 2025 Synergy Shiraz.

Best Museum Red Wine and John Lewis Trophy was awarded to Mount Pleasant Wines for their 2018 Rosehill 1965 Vines Shiraz.

Mercer Wines took the Maurice O’Shea Memorial Trophy for Best Other Red Varietal for their 2025 Limited Release Shiraz, Pinot Noir.

After judging the semillon classes, Toni commented ‘Hunter semillon has never been better at traversing the ability to be enjoyed young but also have ageing potential’. Jamie added ‘what’s unique is that semillon only reveals itself with time in bottle and there is a strong regional sense of place with different soils clearly able to produce different styles’.

The Petrie-Drinan Trophy for Best White Wine of Show was awarded to Brokenwood Wines for their 2019 ILR Reserve Semillon, which also won the Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard White Wine, Drayton Family Trophy for Best Semillon and McGuigan Family Trophy for Best Two-Year Old and Older Semillon. The Marshall-Flannery Trophy for Best Current Semillon was also awarded to Brokenwood for their 2026 Oakey Creek Vineyard Stockyards Block Semillon and the Karl Stockhausen Trophy for Best One-Year-Old Semillon to Margan Family Wines for its 2025 Fordwich Hill Semillon.

The Tyrrell Family Trophy for Best Museum White Wine was awarded to Tyrrell’s for their 2013 Belford Semillon.

Audrey Wilkinson was awarded the Iain Riggs Wine of Provenance for the second consecutive year for their 2026, 2017 and 2013 Winemakers Selection Semillon.

Jamie noted a ‘highlight for him were some of the chardonnays which do really well in the Hunter Valley’. The Murray Tyrrell Chardonnay Trophy was awarded to Silkman Wines for their 2025 Silk Chardonnay, also winning the George Wyndham Memorial Trophy for Best Current and One-Year Old Chardonnay. Silkman Wines collected all three Chardonnay trophies, also being awarded the Henry John Lindeman Memorial Trophy for Best Two-Year old and older Chardonnay for their 2023 Silk Chardonnay.

Highlighting the need for regions to evolve and change, the judges recognised ‘the energy here with the younger winemakers quick to adapt and receptive to change. They aren’t bound by the styles of the past, they're ready to try different things and this plays into new varieties like pecorino and albarino’.

The Kaloudah Trophy for Best Wine from a Small Producer was awarded to Bonvilla Estate for their 2026 Single Vineyard Semillon.

Trophies were also awarded for Best Rose to McLeish Estate for their 2026 Dwyer Rose Merlot, to Hungerford Hill for Best Verdelho for their 2026 Verdelho, to Briar Ridge for Best Other White Varietal & White Blends for their 2026 Limited Release Albarino, to Glenesk Wines for their Wiley Rooster 2025 Late Harvest Semillon and to Draytons Family Wines for their NV Balthasar Liqueur Verdelho for Best Fortified Wine or Vermouth.

Mount Eyre was awarded the Lone Pine Barracks Officers Mess Silver Bullet for their Nero 2025 Nero D’Avola.

Alongside the Wine Trophies, two industry scholarships were presented. The 2026 Tyrrell Family Advanced Viticulture Scholarship was awarded to Jeremy O'Brien of Davis Family Group, and the 2026 Alasdair Sutherland Scholarship to Michael Wells of Usher Tinkler Wines and Thea Wines. "The Hunter Valley's reputation is built by the people who choose to stay and build their careers here," said Jennie Curran, CEO of the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association. "Jeremy and Michael represent the next generation who will carry that forward."

To access imagery, please click here.

Image Credit: Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association and Elfes Images

2026 PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show Trophy Winners

Marshall - Flannery Trophy
Best Current – Semillon (Trophy Sponsor – Winequip)
Winner: Brokenwood Wines (2026 Oakey Creek Vineyard Stockyards Block Semillon)

Karl Stockhausen Memorial Trophy
Best One-Year-Old Semillon (Trophy Sponsor – Hunter Wine Forum)
Winner: Margan (2025 Fordwich Hill Semillon)

McGuigan Family Trophy
Best Two-Year–Old and older Semillon
Winner: Brokenwood Wines (2019 ILR Reserve Semillon)

George Wyndham Memorial Trophy
Best Current and One-Year-Old Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – Laffort)
Winner: Silkman Wines (2025 SILK Chardonnay)

Henry John Lindeman Memorial Trophy
Best Two–Year-Old and Older Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – Jurds Real Estate)
Winner: Silkman Wines (2023 SILK Chardonnay)

Graham Gregory Memorial Trophy
Best Other White Varietals and White Blends
Winner: Briar Ridge (2026 Limited Release Albarino)

J.Y. (Jay) Tulloch Trophy
Best Verdelho
Winner: Hungerford Hill (2026 Verdelho)

Doug Galbraith Memorial Trophy
Best Off-Dry or Sweet White Wine
Winner: Glenesk Wines Wiley Rooster 2025 Late Harvest Semillon

Elliott Family Trophy
Best Rose of Show
Winner: McLeish Estate (2026 Dwyer Rose Merlot)

Trevor Drayton Memorial Trophy
Best Fortified Wine or Vermouth
Winner: Draytons Family Wines (NV Balthasar Liqueur Verdelho)

Maurice O’Shea Memorial Trophy
Best Other Red Varietals and Red Blends
Winner: Mercer Wines (2025 Limited Release Shiraz, Pinot Noir)

Alexander Munro Memorial Trophy
Best Current Vintage and One Year Old Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Singleton Hospitality Group)
Winner: Thomas Wines (2025 Synergy Shiraz)

Stibbard- Hulin Trophy
Best Two-Year-Old Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Hahn Corporation)
Winner: Thomas Wines (2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz)

James Busby Memorial Trophy
Best Mature Three-Year-Old and Older Shiraz (Trophy Sponsor – Jenkins Legal Services)
Winner: De Iuliis Wines (2023 Limited Release Shiraz)

Lone Pine Barracks Officers Mess Silver Bullet
Winner: Mount Eyre (Nero 2025 Nero D’Avola)

Drayton Family Trophy
Best Semillon
Winner: Brokenwood Wines (2019 ILR Reserve Semillon)

Murray Tyrrell Chardonnay Trophy
Best Chardonnay (Trophy Sponsor – MCC- Premium Label Solutions)
Winner: Silkman Wines (2025 SILK Chardonnay)

Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy
Best Shiraz
Winner: De Iuliis Wines (2023 Limited Release Shiraz)

Tyrrell Family Trophy
Best Museum White Wine (Trophy Sponsor – RIEDEL (RSN Australia))
Winner: Tyrrell’s Vineyards (2013 Belford Semillon)

John Lewis Trophy
Best Museum Red Wine
Winner: Mount Pleasant (2018 Rosehill 1965 Vines Shiraz)

Kaloudah Trophy
Best Table Wine from a Small Producer
Winner: Bonvilla Estate (2026 Single Vineyard Semillon)

Len Evans Trophy
Best Single Vineyard White Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Insight Wealth Planning)
Winner: Brokenwood Wines (2019 ILR Reserve Semillon)

Len Evans Trophy
Best Single Vineyard Red Wine (Trophy Sponsor – Insight Wealth Planning)
Winner: Thomas Wines (2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz)

Iain Riggs Wine of Provenance (Provenance Sponsor – CCL Label)
Winner: Audrey Wilkinson Winemakers Selection Semillon (2026, 2017, 2013)

Petrie-Drinan Trophy
Best White Wine of the Show (Trophy Sponsor – PKF)
Winner: Brokenwood Wines (2019 ILR Reserve Semillon)

Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy
Best Red Wine of the Show (Trophy Sponsor – PKF)
Winner: De Iuliis Wines (2023 Limited Release Shiraz)

The 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show Judges were:

Chair of Judges

Toni Paterson MW Wine Writer

Panel Chairs

Nicole Brasier Winemaker, Bleasdale Wines

Peter Leske Winemaker, La Linea + Revenir Winemaking

Rob Mack Winemaker, Aphelion Wine

International Judge

Dr Jamie Goode International Judge, Wine Journalist + Author

Visiting Judges

Natalie Cleghorn Winemaker, Pinnacle Drinks

Nadja Wallington Winemaker, ChaLou Wines

Hunter Judges

Andrew Duff Winemaker, Briar Ridge

Xanthe Hatcher Chief Winemaker, Agnew Wines

Michael Wells Winemaker, Tinkler Wines, Usher Tinkler Wines + Thea Wines

Hunter Associate Judges

Sam Boyd Winemaker, Bimbadgen

Jaden Hall Winemaker, Mount Pleasant Wines

Kiri Irving Winemaker, Mercer Wines

Brendan Kaczorowski Winemaker, Keith Tulloch Wine

Giacomo Soldani Winemaker, Margan Wines

Visiting Associate Judges

Alex Jacques Sommelier, 67 Pall Mall

Trainee Judges

Marthinique de Bruin, Margan Wines

Tasmin Tynski, Gundog Estate