Australia is home to some of the finest wines and wineries in the world. As a nation, we punch above our weight in the wine world, particularly as a New World wine country. Our winemakers and vignerons craft wines of various styles and varieties for every kind of palate.
But wine has never been an industry that has been just led by men. Women have always worked behind and in front of the scenes to produce quality wines.
I’ve been working in and around the wine industry as both an insider and a writer for the better part of a decade. Many of my favourite wine tasting experiences have been curated by women.
If you’re keen to support women in wine, here are some of my favourite women-led wineries in Australia to add to your tasting list in 2026. And if you’re in a wine region and aren’t sure where to start, head to your nearest winery and ask the tasting room crew where to go. They are sure to give you the best recommendations!
Top women-led wineries in Australia 2026
Yarra Yering, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Just named Australia’s best winery for the third time, this Yarra Valley spot is run by General Manager and Head Winemaker, Sarah Crowe. Yarra Yering is one of the oldest and most established wineries in the Yarra, with vines dating back to 1969.
Sarah joined in 2013 after cutting her vineyard chops in NSW winery Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley. She also went on to win the James Halliday Winemaker of the Year in 2017. Gourmet Traveller also named Sarah Winemaker of the Year in 2021.
The winery is one of the most popular in the region thanks to its excellent vino and endless accolades. But if you want to stay a while at the vineyard, you can also book their Homestead. Tucked away behind the vines is a five-bedroom home with family spaces, a large garden, and a pool. It’s a perfect getaway for a family over a holiday break or a wine-lovers weekend trip with your friends.
ChaLou Wines, Orange, New South Wales
You’ll notice something in this list: She loves a cooler-climate wine. Orange is a special wine region. Not just because of its excellent wines, but also its epic landscapes, exquisite restaurants and delightful festivals that celebrate the region. The annual winter fire festival is the perfect time to explore the region. ChaLou is one of those special wineries that may have flown under the radar, but it’s totally worth a visit. In fact, in August 2025, James Halliday agreed with me and awarded the winery the Halliday Dark Horse Winery of the year 2025.
The duo behind the label are winemakers Nadja Wallington and Steve Mobbs. They met first while studying winemaking at CSU and reunited years later in Orange, and the husband and wife duo have been a tasty blend ever since.
What’s special about this small family-run winery is that the same hands that grow and cultivate the grapes, press and blend the wine. It’s all from bud to bottle. Nadja and Steve will also be the ones serving wines in the cellar door as you soak in the stories of every glass and look out over the vines.
Nadja has also earned a myriad of accolades and awards in her career. She was the Young Winemaker of the Year and The Real Review also named her a finalist for the Rising Star of the Year 2026. They also put ChaLou on the Top Wineries of Australia list.
Plus, if you love a wine label (who doesn’t?), theirs are thoughtfully created by Steve’s sister, Kellie Bower. Each label is unique and captures the essence of the estate (much like the wines do!).
They craft some stellar Orange classics, but you’ll also find some unique varietals on their tasting list. Like Arneis (even a sparkling Arneis) and Chenin Blanc, which they just harvested for the first time in 2026.
Cullen Wines, Margaret River, Western Australia
If you like your wine with a side of magic, you can go no further than Vanya Cullen’s epic winery in Margaret River. The winery also celebrated 50 years in 2021, making it a mainstay of the region. Vanya committed to organics in 1998, then had the vineyard certified biodynamic in 2004. And then more recently, the winery achieved carbon negative status!
Vanya is a second-generation winemaker. Cullen Wines was founded by Dr Kevin Cullen AM and Diana Cullen AM in 1971. In fact, one of the winery’s most celebrated wines is the Diana Madeline, named for Diana.
Cullen is arguably the most well-known biodynamic winery in Australia. Boidynamic wines are made with the ethos that whatever energy you put into the soil, you get out of the soil. It follows a planting calendar based on the movement of the moon and stars (there are flower days, fruit days, leaf days, and root days), and various preparations are employed to encourage self-sustaining ecosystems. In 2013, the winery opened up a spiral garden space for visitors to explore and learn about the farming practice.
On-site, you can imbibe in a biodynamic wine tasting and dine at the celebrated restaurant.
Henschke, Eden Valley, South Australia
Henschke’s Hill of Grace Shiraz was a glass of wine that I didn’t want to like because of the sheer cost and prestige, but it is perhaps the best-tasting glass of wine I’ve ever had. Henschke is one of the oldest and most revered wineries in Australia. The family-owned winery has been in operation for over 150 years in Barossa’s Eden Valley. It should come as no surprise that they are a member of Australia’s First Families of Wine. Fifth-generation winemaker Stephen and his wife, Prue Henschke, the winery’s viticulturist, keep the winery’s legacy alive.
And behind the scenes, together with Stephen as head winemaker, celebrated winemaker, Gwyn Olsen, who relocated to the Eden Valley to work with Henshke after leading the charge at Briar Ridge and Pepper Tree Wines in the Hunter Valley.
The historical cellar door is worth a visit on its own for a tasting, but you can also book a private tour of the vineyards.
Giant Steps, Yarra Valley, Victoria
This Yarra Valley winery will be turning 30 in 2027. Founded by wine industry legend Phil Sexton (who swapped Margaret River for Yarra Valley), joined by Head Winemaker Melanie Chester in 2021.
Furthermore, the winery and the wines it has produced have received multiple awards, and they are well-deserved. Most recently, the Halliday Companion Awards named it the 2025 Halliday Winery of the Year.
“It’s really wonderful to see the dedication and hard work of our entire Giant Steps team acknowledged in such a profound way,” says Melanie Chester. “Giant Steps has always had an unwavering commitment to create high-quality wines that tell the stories of our sites, which we see as some of the most exciting vineyards in the country.” The Real Review also included them on its Top Wineries list for 2026, narrowly missing a top ten spot.
Although the winery is in the Yarra Valley, the tasting room is actually in Healesville. There are numerous tastings available, but one recommendation from me is to try the Applejack pinot noir; it’s everything you want from a Yarra Valley pinot.
Kate Hill Wines, Huon Valley, Tasmania
Tucked away in the Huon Valley, a short drive from Hobart, you’ll find Kate Hill Wines. Established in 2008, on the site of a former apple orchard by winemaker (and namesake) Kate Hill and her husband Charles.
2008 was a pretty intense year for Kate. She and Charles married, she got pregnant and then produced her first vintage with Kate Hill Wines. The cellar door is a revamped 1880s heritage -listed cottage that retains all its historical charm but with added modern amenities. It’s open seven days a week, with wine tastings and platters available. You can sip on wine and drink in the view of the surrounding Sleeping Beauty or Hartz Mountains National Park.
Bec Hardy Wines, McLaren Vale, South Australia
If you have heard of Australian wine, you’ve likely heard about the Hardy family, who have been working in vineyards since the 1850s, when Thomas Hardy arrived from the UK or Bec’s father, Geoff Hardy. Bec is the latest in the line of winemakers to set out on their own to create a signature label. However, she is the first woman winemaker in her family to set off on her own. She founded her own winery in 2015 and five years later acquired Pertaringa from her father’s label. That move made her the first woman in the Hardy family to own her own vineyard and produce her own wine.
On site at the vineyard, you can enjoy wine tastings or go for a long lunch at the winery’s on-site restaurant. A definite spot to spend a couple of hours in the McLaren Vale.
Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Coonawarra, South Australia
Spearheading Wynns is its senior winemaker, Sue Hodder, one of Australia’s most revered winemakers. Joining her in the winemaking team at Wynns is Sarah Pidgeon, and the two have been working together at the winery for close to two decades!
Wynns is one of the oldest producers in the Coonwarra, and if you know anything about their region, you know their Cabernets are fabulous.
It’s a must-visit in the Coonawarra!
Passel Estate, Margaret River, Western Australia
Wendy and Barry Stimpson run this Margaret River winery. They fell in love with the region’s landscape and delectable wines at first sight.
“We fell in love with the property from the moment we walked on it – it was a purchase of pure emotion.”
The winery was included in The Real Review’s Top Wineries Australia list for 2026. In addition to Wendy and Barry’s ethos of serving the best and most sustainable wine possible, they also use their vineyard for wildlife conservation efforts.
There is a ringtail possum sanctuary at Passel Estate. They regularly give updates on their social media about new animals that arrived following bushfires and other incidents. The animals are able to recuperate there before being returned to the wild.
If you’re in Margaret River, be sure to add this spot to your itinerary, perhaps for their special wine sunset experience with a private tasting and guide to their conservation goals and a cheese board to enjoy as the sun dips. Or for the more adventurous, there’s a Nature and Wine Walk experience with a tour of the winery’s bushland sanctuary and tasting!
Rowlee Wines, Nashdale, Orange, NSW
Rowlee is one of my favourite wineries in NSW. If you enjoy cool-climate red wines bursting with red and purple berries, add them to your tasting list!
There is a beautiful tasting room on the property and also a phenomenal restaurant perfect for a long lunch over the weekend. Co-owner and director of this lovely locale is Nicole Samodol, who swapped her corporate career for stewarding Rowlee. It’s now one of the region’s most recommended wineries and restaurants. In 2019, Gourmet Traveller Wine named the winery Best Small Cellar Door and it achieved a five-star rating from Halliday Wine Companion.
Rowlee is also the perfect base to explore the Orange Wine Region for a weekend. In fact, there is an on-site Rowlee Guesthouse, and speaking from personal experience, it is a gorgeously fitted-out historical home tucked away from the winery.
Dandelion Vineyards, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Founded by winemaker Elena Brooks, Dandelion is a true love story to wine. Elena has been exposed to wine her entire life. Her mother worked in a winery in Bulgaria, and after the Soviet Union dissolved, Elena’s family met more westerners looking to taste Eastern European varietals. Elena became a translator as a teenager and fell in love with the romance of winemaking. She studied winemaking all over the world before settling in McLaren Vale with her husband and children.
Elena has gone on to being crowned Bushing Queen at the McLaren Vale wine show 2021, for her Lion’s Tooth of McLaren Vale Shiraz Riesling.
“At Dandelion Vineyards, we believe that great wine is made in the vineyard,” says Elena of their ethos. “We carefully tend to our vines, handpicking only the finest grapes to craft our distinctive wines that capture the essence of our unique terroir.”
Rated a five-red-star winery in 2021 and 2023, the winery itself is definitely worth a visit. You can book a tasting at the Wonder Room, a retrofitted tractor shed that combines old and new with a stunning view across the valley.
Krinklewood, Broke, New South Wales
Originally founded by Rod Winddrim in 1981, the winery was purchased by Oscar Martin in 2020. Oscar is maintaining the ethos of organic and biodynamic winemaking instilled in the winery by Rod. But although Oscar is the “custodian” of the brand, he entrusts the winemaking to head winemaker Valentina Moreseco.
“I want people to taste Krinklewood wine, taste a memory, to store and recall a past sensation – a thought – of when they were sitting under the Manchurian pears in the cellar door and having the best time on a chilly Autumn afternoon,” says Valentina of her wines. “I don’t want people to taste only wine, I want people to taste Krinklewood.”
Krinklewood is a popular spot for wine lovers making a weekend stop in the Hunter from Sydney. Visit their award-winning cellar door and sit in the leafy courtyard, taste their wines, and watch the peacocks saunter about.
