James Halliday Grenache Challenge
Celebrating the expression of Australian Grenache.
A competitive, Australian-wide, tasting of single-variety Grenache wines.
The James Halliday Grenache Challenge gathers single-variety Grenache wines from around Australia for a competitive tasting to celebrate and elevate the variety.
The James Halliday Grenache Challenge is open to all producers from all regions, to gauge the diversity of Grenache expression and winemaking from across Australia, and track winemaking styles and movements developing across Australia.
The McLaren Vale Wine Region is proud to host the James Halliday Grenache Challenge in October each year.
Producer information:
Grenache Challenge entry details and key dates
McLaren Vale's Serafino Wines wins the 2023 James Halliday Grenache Challenge!
Serafino Wines' 2022 Reserve Grenache has won the James Halliday Grenache Challenge for 2023.
From 153 entries submitted from across Australia, the 2022 Serafino Wines' Reserve Grenache was selected as the Best Grenache by an impressive panel of judges including James Halliday himself, Ian Mckenzie, Toby Barlow, Liz Silkman, Lauren Hansen, Greg Clack, Marcell Kustos, Nicole Wilson, Rob Mack, Leigh Ratzmer, Jared Stringer, Ollie Thomas, Ashleigh Seymour, Luke Broadbent, Luke Mallaby, Brett Smith.
2023 Grenache Challenge Chair of Judges, James Halliday was impressed by the finesse of the medal-winning wines.
"The makers of Grenache responded jubilantly to the quality of the ’21, ’22 and ’23 growing seasons. There is a pattern of finesse, purity and intensity in the medal-winning wines, the best simply beautiful." said Mr Halliday.
This win comes on the back of the Serafino 2022 Reserve Grenache receiving awards for Best Grenache and Best One Year Old Grenache at the 2023 McLaren Vale Wine Show.
The 2023 James Halliday Grenache Challenge (JHGC) gathered varietal grenache wines from around Australia for a competitive tasting to celebrate and elevate the variety.
2023 Grenache Challenge Chair of Judges, James Halliday was impressed by the finesse of the medal-winning wines.
"The makers of Grenache responded jubilantly to the quality of the ’21, ’22 and ’23 growing seasons. There is a pattern of finesse, purity and intensity in the medal-winning wines, the best simply beautiful." said Mr Halliday.
The Challenge received 153 Grenache entries across a diverse range of Australian wine regions.
View the full list of results for the 2022 James Halliday Grenache Challenge here.
The fifth annual James Halliday Grenache Challenge (JHGC) gathered varietal grenache wines from around Australia for a competitive tasting to celebrate and elevate the variety.
The Challenge invited producers from all Australian wine regions to participate, encouraging an honest gauge of Australia’s winemaking form and to catch the styles and movements developing across the landscape.
Barossa's Krondorf Wines has been named 2021 James Halliday Grenache Challenge winner for its 2020 Founders View Barossa Grenache.
2021 McLaren Vale Wine Show Chair of Judges, Tony Love was impressed with the diversity of grenache expression.
“The 2021 James Halliday Grenache Challenge was a showcase of one of the country's most loved wine varieties at the height of its powers," said Mr Love.
"A highlight of the Challenge was to witness the diversity of Grenache expression, from juicy, lighter, easy drinking styles to bolder and more robust iterations. All variations are, of course, legitimate, while the finest of the entries created plenty of enthusiastic interest from all three panels of judges.
"After a rigorous day of assessment, the winner emerged from the highest quality selection of finalists after displaying attractive varietal aromatic characters with a sense of power, yet elegantly controlled and balanced. A superb example of South Australian Grenache."
The Challenge received a record 146 Grenache entries across a diverse range of Australian winegrowing regions.
Renowned wine critic and writer, James Halliday AM highlights McLaren Vale and the Barossa as champion grenache producing regions.
"Grenache has come in from the cold in no uncertain fashion. One statistic speaks louder than words. In 2010 the average price per tonne was $575; this year (2021) it averaged $1256 per tonne. Its geographic spread has also increased, but two regions dominate: the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in a multitude of styles. It’s also exciting to see 2021 wines starting to appear, with more to come," said Mr Halliday.
Please click here for the full results.