2026 Halliday Top Rated

The best sparkling wine in Australia for 2026

By The Tasting Team

The Stefano Lubiana Prestige 2011 has been named the best sparkling wine in Australia.

The Halliday Wine Companion Awards celebrate the top wines in Australia – as chosen by our esteemed wine critics who spend the year tasting and reviewing wine from across the country. Below, you'll find Australia's best sparkling wines, along with the ratings awarded by the Tasting Team. Members can also click through for each sparkling wine's detailed review.

But before you dive into the exhaustive list of Australia's best sparkling wines, you can check out the current winner of our Sparkling Wine of the Year Award – the 2011 Prestige from Stefano Lubiana.

Only tiny volumes are produced of this sparkling wine, and it’s made only in the best years. This is also just the third iteration since its inaugural vintage in 1995. Made in the traditional method, this wine is 60/40% chardonnay/pinot noir. 2011 being a very cool and wet vintage meant that the grapes ripened with very low sugar and naturally high acidity. Tasmanian taster Dave Brookes says of the wine: ‘Bone-dry and beautifully focused, it travels on rails of crystalline Tasmanian acidity with a “sucking on a river pebble” savoury aspect and a finish that shows remarkable sustain and harmony. Just superb.’

An incredible array of vintage sparkling wines made their way to the crux of the finish line this year, but it was to be Tasmania’s moment. There are many who’d agree: Tasmanian sparkling is primed for the global stage.

2026 Best Sparkling Wine of the Year in Australia

Stefano Lubiana Prestige 2011, Tasmania

98 points | Price when tasted $160

 

Brown Brothers Patricia Brut Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2018, King Valley

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So harmonious and complete with tones of citrus, sea spray, crushed shells, dried shiitake, pipe tobacco, Kalamata olive, fresh pastries and toast. Bone-dry and beautifully focused, it travels on rails of crystalline Tasmanian acidity with a 'sucking on a river pebble' savoury aspect and a finish that shows remarkable sustain and harmony. Just superb. – Dave Brookes

Learn more about sparkling wine.

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The 2026 Halliday Wine Companion is available now. Secure your copy of Australia's most comprehensive wine guide at all good bookstores.

This is an edited extract from the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW. Cover art by James Coe.


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