Australia’s finest wines have been recognised at the 2026 Sydney Royal Wine Show, with Wine of Show going to Tasmania’s Pooley Wines for its 2024 Pooley Syrah.

Critiqued by some of the most experienced and diverse wine judging palates in the country, more than 1500 wines were assessed blindly over the week to determine the best of the best.

Sydney Royal Judges praised the medium-bodied 2024 Pooley Syrah for its balance and savoury fruit flavours. The family-run Coal River winery took home three major trophies with its 2024 Syrah, also claiming the Best Red and Best Shiraz trophies, and making history as the first Tasmanian Shiraz to achieve this feat in categories traditionally dominated by renowned Shiraz-producing regions such as Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.

Chair of Judges Mike De Iuliis said cool climate shiraz wines such as the Pooley Wines Syrah were the highlight of this year’s show, with an impressive range of regions and producers represented.

“Shiraz is such a versatile variety – it was wonderful to see such fine examples across so many growing regions, from South Australia and Victoria to WA and Tasmania,” De Iuliis said.

“It really demonstrates that these amazing wines can come from anywhere in this country. It was particularly exciting to see the best Shiraz of the show come from the Coal River Valley in Tasmania – a great reminder that cooler-climate sites are producing some exciting Shiraz in Australia right now.”

Sydney food and drink lovers can sample hundreds of Sydney Royal medal-winning wines, beers, ciders, spirits and fine foods when the Grape, Grain & Graze Festival returns to Sydney Showground on Saturday, 19 September 2026.

Cool-climate regions in the spotlight

De Iuliis’ comments echo those of the judges at the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, which were also announced this week.

The award ceremony was described as “a night of cool-climate triumphs, with Tasmania and Victoria sharing the biggest accolades”.

Tasmania’s House of Arras took out the night’s top honour, winning Winery of the Year. Steve Flamsteed was named Winemaker of the Year, recognised for his exceptional work across his new Tasmanian venture, Decades, his Victorian side project, Salo in the Yarra Valley, and his work for Eldridge Estate on the Mornington Peninsula.

To view all the 2026 Sydney Royal Wine Show results, including gold, silver and bronze medal winners or to learn more about 200 years of the Sydney Royal Wine Show visit www.rasnsw.com.au/wineshow.

Learn more about the 2026 Grape, Grain & Graze Festival at https://www.rasnsw.com.au/ggg