The International Wine Challenge has unveiled its 2026 results, with Beresford Estate Classic Shiraz 2023 winning four trophies.

Beresford Estate Classic Shiraz 2023 (97 points) was one of IWC 2026’s most decorated wines. Priced under $25, it won the South Australian Shiraz Trophy, Australian Shiraz Trophy, Australian Red Trophy and International Syrah Trophy.

Australia delivered one of the strongest performances relative to its entry volume, combining a high Gold conversion rate (almost one in 10) with exceptional regional breadth.

South Australia won 21 Gold medals and Tasmania won 13, spanning styles including Shiraz, Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines

Other Australian Trophy winners included Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (96 points – Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy; International Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy), Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2024 (96 points – Tasmanian Chardonnay Trophy; Australian White Trophy), MMAD Vineyard Grenache 2024  (96 points – Australian Grenache Trophy), Morris Classic Muscat NV (95 points – Australian Fortified Trophy) and House of Arras Grand Vintage 2017 (96 points – Australian Sparkling Trophy).

Co-Chair Oz Clarke said: “Australia remains a powerhouse of exciting reds and whites, but the landscape is changing.  Barossa and Maclaren Vale performed really well, but not only with Shiraz – Grenache is now a real star performer from a wealth of old vines. 

“And Tasmania is no longer a wine buff’s curiosity. The sparklers have been superb for quite a while, but the reds, and particularly the whites, are now some of Australia’s finest.”

Co-Chair Helen McGinn said: “This year’s competition was the most excitingly diverse to date with incredible wines from some of the finest regions in the world alonogside places you just didn’t expect! 

“The quality of the wines entered really does get better and better every year. This year we saw particularly strong performances from England and Australia among others and I love how the IWC enables us to unearth Gold medals for wines as diverse as an 80 year old Tawny in one flight and a supermarket own label Champagne in another.”

The full list of medal and trophy winners in the 2026 International Wine Challenge can be viewed here.

Big year for Beresford Estate

The win for Beresford Estate follows the appointment of Natalie Cleghorn as Head Winemaker in December 2025, marking a significant step forward for one of South Australia’s most awarded family-owned wineries.

Cleghorn has more than 26 years of winemaking experience across some of Australia’s most respected producers – including Hill Smith Family (Yalumba, Oxford Landing and Dalrymple), Katnook Estate and Mitchelton.

A two-time finalist for the Australian Women in Wine Awards – Winemaker of the Year and a graduate of the prestigious Len Evans Tutorial, Natalie has served as both judge and panel chair at many of Australia’s leading wine shows.

She was the first female winemaker for Yalumba’s iconic The Menzies, crafting the 2019 vintage that was crowned the winner of the Best Cabernet in the 2021 James Halliday Cabernet Challenge.