23 Aug Halliday 2027 Results
Top Orange wine plus three Swift Sparklings named among Australia’s highest scoring in the Halliday Wine Companion 2027
The results of the Halliday Wine Companion 2027 have given us plenty to celebrate, with our Swift sparkling wines delivering and Printhie once again recognised as a 5 Red Star winery.
Most excitingly, three Swift Sparkling wines were named in the top scoring Australian sparklings – the Swift 2012 Blanc de Blancs #2, Swift NV Cuvée and Swift 2016 Vintage.
For a small family winery that started a sparkling wine program in 2010 in Orange, NSW, having three wines recognised among Australia’s best is exciting.
Leading our results was the Swift 2012 Blanc de Blancs #2, awarded an outstanding 97 points and highest scoring wine from the Orange region.
This late disgorged Blanc de Blancs comes from chardonnay grown at 1,000 metres elevation and spent 12 years ageing on lees before disgorgement. Halliday Wine Companion reviewer Shanteh Wale described it as: “A beautiful late-disgorged wine, expansive and assured, with a long road still ahead.”
The Swift NV Cuvée received 96 points. Based on the 2021 vintage with the inclusion of reserve wines and 55 months on lees, it was described by Wale as “sophisticated and finely composed”, with a long finish and balance that reflects both its extended maturation and high altitude origins.
Completing our trio in the top scoring sparklings was the Swift 2016 Vintage, also awarded 96 points. Made from 65% chardonnay and 35% pinot noir from 1,000 metres, the wine spent eight years on lees before disgorgement. Wale noted its “finish reveals lightly charred toast and lemon tea, lingering with finesse, power and drive. Wonderful value.”
Our Swift NV Rosé received 95 points, rounding out a particularly strong result for the Swift range.
Drew Tuckwell shortlisted for Winemaker of the Year
The results were made even more significant with Swift sparkling winemaker Drew Tuckwell shortlisted for the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year.
Drew has been integral to Printhie for more than two decades and has led the development of the Swift range from its beginnings into the traditional method sparkling program it is today.
Sparkling wine rewards patience. The wines we are releasing now reflect decisions made many years ago, from vineyard selection and picking dates through to blending, tirage and, ultimately, the decision about when each wine is ready to leave the lees.
Drew’s shortlisting is recognition of his skill and long term commitment to quality.
Strong results across the Printhie range
Beyond Swift, the 2027 results highlighted the breadth of wines being produced from our vineyards across the Orange region.
The Super Duper Chardonnay 2023 received 94 points, with Wale describing it as “Beeswax, snuffed candle wick and grapefruit. Filled with savoury cheese biscuit notes, curry leaf and ginger tea”.
Four wines received 93 points:
- Super-Duper Syrah 2023 – 93 points
- Super-Duper Pinot Noir 2023 – 93 points
- Topography Chardonnay 2024 – 93 points
- Topography Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 – 93 points
The Snow Line Pinot Noir 2023 was awarded 92 points.
Together, the results reflect what continues to excite us about making wine in Orange: vineyards ranging dramatically in elevation, a genuinely cool climate and the opportunity to make wines with freshness, character and a clear sense of place.
Halliday Wine Companion 2027 results
- Swift 2012 Blanc de Blancs – 97 points
- Swift NV Cuvée – 96 points
- Swift 2016 Vintage – 96 points
- Swift NV Rosé – 95 points
- Super Duper Chardonnay 2023 – 94 points
- Super Duper Syrah 2023 – 93 points
- Super Duper Pinot Noir 2023 – 93 points
- Topography Chardonnay 2024 – 93 points
- Topography Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 – 93 points
- The Snow Line Pinot Noir 2023 – 92 points
For our family and team, these results are a welcome acknowledgement of the work that happens long before a bottle reaches the table, in the vineyard, through vintage and, particularly with Swift, during the many years the wines spend quietly maturing in our cellar.
To once again be recognised as a Halliday 5 Red Star winery, to have three Swift wines among Australia’s top sparkling wines, and to see Drew shortlisted for Winemaker of the Year makes the 2027 Wine Companion a particularly memorable one.
Perhaps most importantly, it reinforces something we have believed for a long time. Orange has an exciting place in the future of Australian sparkling wine.
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