Welcome to Wine of the Year 2026
Taste the 12 standout finalists, chosen from hundreds of wines, then have your say and help crown the best red and white of the year
Turn your home into the judging room…
Gather your crew or taste solo. Our Wine of the Year hub has tasting notes, videos and tips to help you discover your favourites and cast your vote.
How to judge like a pro
Cover it up
Wrap every bottle in brown paper to have an official “blind tasting”. t’s exciting to see what you pick up on when you have no idea what you’re tasting.
Start with the whites… or don’t
Traditionally, a tasting starts with sparkling, then whites, then reds. Our most senior wine guru Antoine actually doesn’t mind flipping that so he finishes with whites, and give his tastebuds a little surprise. BUT whichever direction you go, the golden rule is - stick with all whites/sparkling and all reds in a row, then move to the next batch.
Take notes
What do you smell? Taste? Love? You're the expert here - & your palate is the only one that matters. Record the wines you'd happily open again on a Tuesday night.
Vote for your favourites
One vote per category - red and white. Voting opens soon!
The selection process
How did we rate the wines?
Flavour, length, balance, quality. All the great parts of wine. We then ranked every bottle. We sampled each wine in a blind tasting.
What is a blind tasting?
That means we concealed every wine and relied purely on what was in the glass.
Who chose the wines?
The wines were chosen from those released (not necessarily made) in 2026. Global VP of Wine Antoine selected a range of tasters to join him in tasting each wine. Why? Because varying tastebuds ensured a wide range of opinions.
How do I get a job as a taster next year?
You already have it. Your ratings and reviews curated the shortlist. Your opinion matters and continues to count (so make sure you cast your vote!).
How do I taste the wines?
The Wine of the Year 2026 case has all 12 shortlisted wines tucked inside. A dozen of the very best wines for 2026, in one place. You can also join us at the Tasting Tour (Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth) and have a sip! You can also meet a selection of the nominated winemakers. (Warning: They may use their charms to try and influence your vote).
