WORLD'S BEST SHIRAZ SELLS FOR JUST $25

A $25 bottle of Shiraz from South Australia has achieved something few wines ever do: it has claimed the top spot in a prestigious international competition and outperformed rivals many times its price.

The 2023 Classic Shiraz from Beresford Estate in McLaren Vale was awarded the International Syrah Trophy at the 2026 International Wine Challenge, one of the wine industry’s most respected judging events.

The wine also received 97 points, a Gold Medal and four major trophies, making it the highest-scoring Australian trophy winner in this year’s competition.

The result placed the wine first among 111 Shiraz entries from around the world and ahead of several highly regarded Australian trophy-winning wines.

For wine lovers, the award is notable not only for the competition’s standing but also for the price. At a recommended retail price of just $25, the Beresford Classic Shiraz sits firmly in the everyday-drinking category rather than the rarefied world of collector wines.

Head winemaker Natalie Cleghorn said the result reflected the quality of fruit produced in McLaren Vale.

“This result is a genuine reflection of what McLaren Vale is capable of. When you let the fruit and the site do the talking, the quality speaks for itself.”

According to the tasting notes, the wine opens with blueberry and plum aromas alongside floral notes and spice, while the palate delivers red cherry, plum, dried fruit, eucalyptus, and savoury spice, supported by bright acidity and fine-grained tannins.

The accolade adds to the growing reputation of Beresford Estate, which was founded in 1985 and has accumulated more than 2,000 medals and 200 trophies globally. The estate is located on a 70-acre vineyard in McLaren Vale and produces a range of wines including Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

While luxury wine collectors often chase bottles costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars, Beresford’s latest success is a reminder that world-class wine does not always come with a world-class price tag.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth has joined Archie Rose Distilling Co. as co-owner and strategic business partner as the Sydney spirits company prepares to enter the United States.

The partnership brings Hemsworth together with Archie Rose founder Will Edwards, with the pair aiming to build greater international recognition for Australian whisky.

Founded in Sydney in 2014, Archie Rose has developed a distinctively Australian range of whiskies, gins and other spirits using locally grown grains and native botanicals.

Hemsworth said his involvement grew from a long-standing admiration for the distiller and its use of Australian ingredients.

“I’ve been a fan of Archie Rose for a long time,” Hemsworth said.

“Wherever I am in the world, tasting an Archie Rose whisky immediately transports me right back home, to that feeling of sitting around a campfire in the Australian bush with my mates.

“Their ethos of only using Australian-grown malts to produce flavour-packed whiskies at their Sydney distillery is truly awesome. They’re a brilliant example of what Australia does best, and I can’t wait to share that with the world.”

Three new Australian whiskies

Three whiskies co-created with Hemsworth are scheduled to launch later in 2026.

Made using 100 per cent Australian-grown malts, the whiskies will be released nationally and introduced to the United States as Archie Rose enters that market for the first time.

Further releases are planned for Asia and New Zealand, followed by expansion into the United Kingdom and European Union in 2027.

Archie Rose will continue to oversee distillation and production, while Hemsworth will contribute to storytelling, creative direction, design and content development.

Edwards said the partnership would help introduce Archie Rose—and Australian spirits more broadly—to a larger international audience.

“Our approach has always been about championing local ingredients to create spirits that taste truly Australian,” Edwards said.

“Having Chris join the business as a co-owner allows us to bring that ambition to the world.

“We aren’t just making spirits; we are using Australia’s raw materials and ingenuity as the base for producing the world’s best whisky, gin and other spirits, telling the stories of the growers and the land beneath them.”

A distinctly Australian approach

Archie Rose works with Australian growers to source heirloom and drought-resistant grain varieties for its whiskies, as well as native botanicals for its gins.

Its whiskies are produced exclusively with Australian-grown malts, including rye and barley cultivated specifically for the distiller.

Each malt is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and matured separately before the components are combined. The process is designed to retain the individual character of each grain.

For its gins, Archie Rose uses cold distillation to help preserve the character of individual botanicals.

The company says it has received more than 450 awards, including World’s Best Rye Whisky twice, Australia’s Best Single Malt Whisky five times and World’s Best Gin.

Archie Rose received B Corp certification in June 2026, recognising its stated commitments to social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

The company operates its distillery in Botany, Sydney, with a public bar and cellar door in nearby Rosebery.

Hemsworth’s arrival as co-owner marks a significant change for the previously family-owned company—and gives one of Australia’s most recognisable actors an active role in the effort to establish Australian whisky as a global category.

WORLD’S BEST SHIRAZ SELLS FOR JUST $25

A McLaren Vale Shiraz has beaten more than 100 global rivals to be crowned the world’s best at one of the wine industry’s most respected competitions.

Three new Australian whiskies

A distinctly Australian approach