2026 James Halliday Australian Chardonnay & Cabernet Challenge

The James Halliday Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge is a celebration of two of Australia's favourite white and red varieties, and its outstanding regional diversity. 

Whether that is the sublime subtlety from the Yarra Valley, the elegance and balance derived from the terra rossa soils of Coonawarra, the rich and decadent signature style from Margaret River or the powerful and luscious expressions from McLaren Vale. 

The highest pointed wines for each variety will be awarded the James Halliday Trophy and the regional winners with scores of 95 points or more are also recognised. 

2026 Sees the introduction of two new trophies, Class 200, the Chardonnay Wine of Provenance and Class 300, the Cabernet Wine of Provenance, where a set of three wines of the same label are judged as a set judges will be looking for longevity and constancy of quality and style, The set of wines must span at least 8 Vintages in total and have a minimum of 3years separating any two wines.  Unlike the rest of the challenge this will not be judged regionally but as one group.

Entering

To enter, sign on to your ShowRunner account OR register a new ShowRunner account in the boxes below, and then follow the prompts to enter your wine. Entry instructions are provided.