2022 Halliday Wine Companion
The Halliday Wine Companion has always been the domain of the great man who started it: James Halliday. In the early days, James was able to taste all wines himself, and the publication was his way of informing the readers of the best wines in the country. As the years have worn on, the volume of wines submitted for review has ballooned, and James himself has (only recently, mind you) started to slow down on the number of wines that he tastes annually. I am sure that you will have by now seen the news that the Halliday Wine Companion is moving into a new era of publication. James Halliday has named Tyson Stelzer as the Chief Editor, and under him, the structure of the Tasting Team has moved in a ‘regional expert’ direction, with one taster per area/state. There are seven tasters in the country, including Tyson. This is great news for the wineries in each state who now have a direct line to the Companion, and most importantly, great news for the readers. We can now expect to see even more brilliant wines, likely from smaller producers who may have been missed by the previous national structure. James continues on to taste alongside the team.
I am thrilled to be appointed as the Regional Taster for Western Australia. This is as big a role as it sounds: I will be responsible for reviewing wines from the Great Southern, Geographe, Margaret River, Swan Valley, Blackwood Valley, Southern Forests and everywhere else that makes and submits wines for review.
If you are a winery and you are interested in submitting for the Companion, the process is outlined here. If it will be your first time, then I encourage you to get on board – Australia needs to know what you do. If you are interested in watching Tyson’s eloquent announcement video, or reading more about each of the Regional Tasters, the links are there for you.
We are living in unprecedented times (I, like you, have seen the ‘I’d kill for some precendent rn’ meme too, and don’t wholly disagree) and new orders need our support: as this does. The legacy of the Wine Companion is strong, and with many decades of experience behind it, and the vast wealth of combined knowledge of the people working on its future, we have much to look forward to.