Yarra Yering’s Triple Crown: Celebrating The Real Review’s 2026 Winery of the Year

Yarra Yering Winery of the Year 2026: Why This Title Matters

The Real Review Winery of the Year Australia is awarded to the producer that tops the publication’s annual Top Wineries of Australia list, a ranking built on extensive blind tastings and multi‑year assessment rather than one‑off hype. In 2026, Yarra Yering once again reached the summit of that list, confirming that its recent run is not a spike of form but an enduring standard.

Here is something genuinely fascinating about this 2026 win: it is the third time Yarra Yering has been named Winery of the Year, following previous titles in 2021 and 2024. No other producer has secured the award three times in the history of The Real Review’s rankings, which means this is now the benchmark Australian winery in the eyes of one of the country’s most influential critical panels. For serious collectors and trade buyers alike, this triple recognition signals that Yarra Yering is not simply having a good patch; it is the defining Victorian estate of its generation.

Yarra Yering History and Origin: From Visionary Plantings to Modern Classic

Yarra Yering’s story begins in the late 1960s, when Dr Bailey Carrodus planted some of the first modern vineyards in the Yarra Valley at a time when the region was only just rediscovering its pre‑phylloxera reputation for fine table wine. The initial plantings in what became known as Block No. 1 were dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties, laying the groundwork for the now‑iconic Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1.

From the outset, the philosophy centred on low‑yielding vines, careful site selection and a refusal to chase fashion, which has always given Yarra Yering wines a certain quiet confidence rather than showy exuberance. Over time, the estate expanded to include Shiraz and other varieties, including the single block that would later become Underhill, planted in 1973 on a neighbouring property and acquired by Yarra Yering in 1988. Today the wines are crafted by winemaker Sarah Crowe, whose tenure has seen an extraordinary run of high scores and, crucially, that trio of Winery of the Year titles.

What Three Winery of the Year Titles Really Say

Winning The Real Review Winery of the Year once can be explained by a particularly strong release or a favourable vintage. To claim the title three times, across 2021, 2024 and now 2026, requires something quite different: a structural depth of quality across varieties, vintages and price levels.

The Real Review has emphasised that this award goes to the producer that tops its Top Wineries of Australia list, meaning Yarra Yering is outperforming famous names from across the country, including long‑established icons and ambitious newcomers. In 2026, coverage highlighted a lineup peppered with 98‑point reviews for wines such as Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1, Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 2, Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz and Yarra Yering Carrodus Chardonnay, underscoring the breadth rather than just the peaks of the portfolio.

This consistency also tells a story about Victorian wine more broadly. Yarra Yering’s victory contributes to a run in which a Victorian producer has taken the title for six consecutive years, reinforcing the idea that cool‑climate regions like the Yarra Valley now play a leading role in defining contemporary Australian fine wine. For collectors looking to build cellars that speak to this new epoch, Yarra Yering sits at the centre of the narrative, not on the fringes.

When browsing these wines, make sure to visit our online Yarra Yering shop, where these benchmark bottlings can be sourced directly for Australian cellars.

Featured Wines

Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 (6 Bottles) Yarra Valley, VIC

$144.17 / bottle

$865.00 for a case of 6

Add to Cart

Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 3 2022 (6 Bottles) Yarra Valley, VIC

$99.67 / bottle

$598.00 for a case of 6

Add to Cart

Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023 (6 Bottles) Yarra Valley, VIC

$122.17 / bottle

$733.00 for a case of 6

Add to Cart

Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023: Cool‑Climate Power With Precision

Among the 2023 releases, Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023 has quickly emerged as one of the defining wines of the vintage. Sourced from a single block of Shiraz planted in 1973 adjacent to the original estate, the vineyard sits on a west‑facing slope with clay‑based soils that naturally temper vigour and encourage concentration without excessive weight.

According to Philip Rich in Halliday Wine Companion, Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023 is “perfumed with aromas of cherry, cassis, a floral nuance and freshly ground black pepper”, a wine that he rated at 97 points. The vinification involves around 10 percent whole bunches and maturation mainly in larger French oak puncheons with only modest new wood, a regime designed to preserve spice, freshness and fine tannin rather than overlay the fruit with oak sweetness.

Other critics have echoed this enthusiasm. Stuart Knox at The Real Review also awarded 97 points, highlighting the wine’s floral blueberry and wild blackberry aromatics, superfine tannins and focused acidity, describing it as both plush and tightly wound. For drinkers who still associate Australian Shiraz with sheer power, Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023 demonstrates a different aesthetic: medium‑bodied, tensioned, driven by blue and black fruits, savoury charcuterie notes and a long, pepper‑laced finish that promises a decade or more of graceful evolution.

This is not party wine. This is wine demanding respect and consideration, particularly for those who value how cool‑climate Shiraz can balance fragrance and structure. Anyone contemplating a vertical of Underhill will see how the 2023 combines the finesse of a cooler season with the vineyard’s inherent depth, a combination that explains why it sits comfortably among the highest‑rated Yarra Yering wines of recent years.

Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023: The Cabernet Blend That Defines the Estate

If Underhill represents the sculpted face of Shiraz at Yarra Yering, Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 is the estate’s foundational statement in classic Cabernet Sauvignon‑based blending. The wine hails from those original Block No. 1 plantings and their surrounding parcels, a patchwork of mature vines that have long been recognised for producing some of Australia’s most enduring Cabernet blends.

The estate’s own tasting description for Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 emphasises a mélange of summer berry fruits, rustic iodine tones and bay leaf lift, framed by warming clove spice, hints of graphite and subtle oak char. Fine tannins and refreshing acidity underpin the wine’s architecture, giving it both immediate drinkability and a clear line of sight to long‑term cellaring. In this vintage, the wine has drawn a remarkable critical chorus, including 99 points from Halliday Wine Companion and 97 points from Huon Hooke at The Real Review, alongside high‑90s ratings from several other leading critics.

Huon Hooke’s 97‑point score places Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 among the very top Cabernet blends of its release year and highlights its classification as a “3 Merit Wine” in The Real Review Wine Classification of Australia. That classification reflects not just a single strong showing but a track record of excellence across multiple vintages, which makes the 97‑point rating from The Real Review in 2025 especially resonant for collectors tracking the wine’s performance over time.

The result in the glass is a style that feels unmistakably Yarra Yering: complex and layered yet never intimidating, with blackcurrant, graphite, bay and spice woven into a seamless, medium‑bodied frame. For anyone building an Australian Cabernet‑focused collection, Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 is exactly the sort of bottle that will tell future drinkers about where Victorian wine was heading in the mid‑2020s.

What This Means for Australian Drinkers Right Now

For Australian enthusiasts, the triple Winery of the Year recognition, combined with wines like Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023 and Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 attracting 97‑point accolades from both Halliday Wine Companion and The Real Review, sends a very clear message: this is one of the country’s essential addresses. The detail in the reviews, the structural finesse of the wines and the long‑term performance across vintages all point towards a producer whose best bottles will reward thoughtful drinking and patient cellaring.

For those in Australia planning the next serious addition to their cellar, this is an especially good moment to explore the Yarra Yering range whilst the 2023s are in the market. When browsing these wines, make sure to visit our online Yarra Yering shop, where curated selections of Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz 2023, Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 2023 and other key releases can be found with the convenience of local Australian shipping.