Inside the 2026 Halliday Awards inaugural Wildcard category

Aussie winemakers are increasingly playing around with different varieties, winemaking techniques and fermentation vessels to produce exciting, diverse and delicious wines. 

But because many of these wines defy traditional categorisation, they often don't get the attention they deserve. In an effort to advocate for the lesser known, whether it be variety, technique, style or region, we introduced the Wildcard category to the 2026 Wine Companion as a way to champion these outliers.

There were seven wines (four whites and three reds) put forward by the Halliday Tasting Team to compete for the inaugural Wildcard of the Year award.

Balancing Heart’s 2024 Phototropism & Ephemeral Pecorino was Mike Bennie’s pick. Made in the Granite Belt with fruit sourced from the Riverland, the wine spent 15 days on skins before it was pressed off, taking “what can be a pleasant but simple grape variety into something sublime,” Mike wrote in his review. “The phenolics in it are well-handled, attracting the right amount of bitterness and tension through the palate,” Marcus Ellis said after the bracket was tasted at the 2026 Awards judging. “It’s delicious, really lovely,” added Dave Brookes. 

The Halliday Tasting Team at the 2026 Awards judging.

Shanteh Wale nominated the ’24 BIO-Logical Ansonica from Lowe Family Wine Co. “This is so good to see from someone like David Lowe, who’s led the charge for a long time,” she said. 

“It probably is a bit divisive, but I love the saltiness. It’s going to get warmer where he is in Mudgee so I think it’s a variety that’ll do quite well, with its thicker skins, lower acidity but high pH. I think it’s a really good food wine, and it’s at a really good price point.”

Marcus put forward Inkwell’s ’24 Yellow Grillo, a wine he said told a story both of progressiveness and climate adaptability. “It’s made in these crazy, concrete vessels,” he said. “There’s a lot of detail, and a sandy, granular quality to it.” 

Dave’s entry was the ’23 Negra Bianco from Anim in Southern Tasmania, a co-fermented 50/50 blend of pinot noir and pinot blanc. “Who knew if you added those two varieties together, you’d get gamay?” Dave said at judging, clarifying that it was a bit “Beaujolais-like… a really good wine.” Philip Rich agreed: “My favourite of the reds,” he said. 

From Jeni Port came the Parrell Tempranillo 2023 from Anderson & Marsh. “This is the ultimate friends project,” she said about the wine, which was half made by Eleana Anderson at Mayford and half by Jo Marsh at Billy Button Wines. “Each has brought their own style to it, and it also shows great potential for tempranillo in the Alpine Valleys region.” 

Four of the shortlisted wines.

Toni Paterson MW included the ’23 Vegas Block Shiraz from Brokenwood “because it’s something a little bit different from a more traditional producer,” she said. “It comes from the youngest block in the Graveyard Vineyard, shiraz co-planted with 5 per cent pinot noir and 5 per cent trebbiano. 

“You get all this green spice through the wine, the acidity plays more of a role in the structure – it’s quite a different style for the Hunter. It’s also the sort of wine that could get missed, and I want to highlight it.” 

The winning wine, put forward by Philip, was the NV Yellow, a savagnin aged under flor for seven years from Lethbridge Wines. “This is their homage to the Jura,” he said, “and it’s a delicious example. Not too over the top – it’s divine.” 

The Wildcard bracket may have been one of the smallest at the ’26 Awards judging, but the team agreed it was easily the most interesting. “If we as tasters are encouraged to submit those wines and we encourage more producers to put them forward, it could be an incredibly strong category,” said Marcus. “There are so many more good wines than there are bad wines, it’s nice to have somewhere to put them.” 

Order your copy of the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion today 

The 2026 edition of the seminal guide to Australian wine, the Halliday Wine Companion, is on sale now. Secure your copy today, or upgrade to a Vintage Halliday membership.