It’s not unheard of for an Australian wine to sweep international awards, with frequent flyers including fabled fine wines like Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace.

But it was a $25 sipper that was best-in-show for Australia at one of the most respected wine awards in the world this year. At the 2026 International Wine Challenge in London, Beresford Estate Classic Shiraz racked up 97 points in blind tasting, taking out a Gold Medal and four key Trophies, including the International Syrah Trophy. This made it one of the most-decorated overall wines of the awards, from any country.

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This score recognised the $25 McLaren Vale shiraz as the best shiraz in the world, topping the leader board from 111 worldwide shiraz entries, and simultaneously becoming the highest-scoring Australian wine in a competition that also saw legendary labels such as Tolpuddle and House of Arras face the judges.

Chief winemaker Natalie Cleghorn is the latest custodian of the McLaren Vale vineyard, which has been crafting award winners since 1985 on its 70-acre vineyard, now also home to luxury lodgings and destination restaurant Vale.

Australia emerged as one of the strongest nations overall at the International Wine Challenge this year, with South Australia and Tasmania both making a strong showing in the final results. Alongside Beresford, Penfolds, Tolpuddle, MMAD Vineyard, Morris and House of Arras all walked away with trophies.

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