James Halliday
Grenache Challenge
A competitive, Australian-wide, tasting of single-variety Grenache wines.
Open to producers from every Australian region, the James Halliday Grenache Challenge gathers Grenache wines from across the country to showcase the grape’s diversity, trace evolving styles, and highlight the regional expressions of Grenache emerging in Australia.
The James Halliday Grenache Challenge is an Australia‑wide tasting competition focused solely on single‑variety Grenache wines, held annually in October and hosted in McLaren Vale by the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association since its inception in 2017. Its purpose is to celebrate and elevate the Grenache variety.
Yalumba 2024 Vine Vale Grenache wins the 2025 James Halliday Grenache Challenge!
The Yalumba 2024 Vine Vale Grenache received the highest accolade in the ninth annual James Halliday Grenache Challenge, judged in McLaren Vale on 21 October 2025. The impressive panel of judges assessed 153 single-varietal Grenache wines from around Australia, celebrating the growing strength and incredible diversity of the variety.
Chair of Judges Toby Barlow said "the Yalumba 2024 Vine Vale Grenache won over more of the judges first preferences with its exceptional red fruited freshness, purity, balanced winemaking influence and the persistence of flavour that carried effortlessly across the palate. It’s a very well-crafted and composed wine that speaks to both vineyard and sensitive winemaking. The judges also appreciated and discussed how this modern expression of Grenache would be quite versatile and suited across contemporary cuisines and eating occasions."
"McLaren Vale has been the beating heart of Grenache’s rediscovery; it really has been front & centre of the Grenache renaissance”.
James Halliday AM
