Halliday Wine Companion

What does it take to become Australia's best winemaker? And what happens when you win two of the country's most prestigious wine awards in the same year?

In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, we sit down with Steve Flamsteed, the 2027 Halliday Winemaker of the Year, whose Tasmanian wine venture, Decades, also claimed the coveted Best New Winery award.

From helping transform Giant Steps into one of Australia's most celebrated producers of Yarra Valley pinot noir and chardonnay to launching an award-winning Tasmanian winery with longtime friend and Stone & Wood co-founder Brad Rogers, Steve's journey is anything but conventional.

Originally trained as a chef, Steve's career has taken him from the kitchens of Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm to cheesemaking in France, winemaking at Leeuwin Estate and more than 17 years shaping the wines of Giant Steps alongside founder Phil Sexton.

Steve shares the fascinating story behind Innocent Bystander's wildly successful Pink Moscato, how its commercial success helped fund Giant Steps' expansion into exceptional single-vineyard sites, and the lessons he learnt along the way.

We also head south to Tasmania's Coal River Valley, where Steve and Brad have turned a friendship spanning more than three decades into Decades, a boutique producer focused on premium cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay.

Steve explains what makes Tasmanian pinot noir so different from Yarra Valley pinot, the importance of soils, clones and whole-bunch fermentation, and why the 2025 Decades Pinot Noir might be one of the best wines he's ever made.

But beyond the awards, vineyards and wines, there's a philosophy at the heart of Steve's approach to winemaking: wine isn't an industry – it's a community.

From the generosity of fellow winemakers to the importance of challenging convention, continuing to learn and surrounding yourself with great people, Steve reflects on what really makes a great winemaker.

In this episode, we explore:
Steve's unlikely journey from chef and cheesemaker to Halliday Winemaker of the Year.

Working alongside Maggie Beer and the lessons that shaped his approach to winemaking.

The early days of Giant Steps and Phil Sexton's vision for Yarra Valley pinot noir and chardonnay.

How Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato helped finance the growth of Giant Steps.

The story of Decades and Steve's 30-plus-year friendship with Brad Rogers.

Why Tasmania's Coal River Valley is such an exciting region for cool-climate wine.

The differences between making pinot noir and chardonnay in Tasmania and the Yarra Valley.

Vineyard selection, whole-bunch fermentation and the pursuit of exceptional pinot noir.

Why collaboration, curiosity and community are essential to making great Australian wine.

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About the guest
Steve Flamsteed is the 2027 Halliday Winemaker of the Year and one of Australia's most respected cool-climate winemakers. Formerly chief winemaker at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, Steve helped establish its reputation for exceptional single-vineyard pinot noir and chardonnay. Today, he is a director and senior consultant at Wine Network Consulting, produces Salo chardonnay, and co-owns Decades in Tasmania's Coal River Valley with longtime friend Brad Rogers.
Follow Steve Flamsteed on Instagram
Follow Salo on Instagram
Discover Decades:
https://decadeswine.com.au/
Follow Decades on Instagram
Steve Flamsteed – Wine Network Consulting:
https://winenet.com.au/team/steve-flamsteed/
Steve Flamsteed – Halliday Winemaker of the Year:
Read Steve's Halliday Winemaker of the Year profile
Discover Decades on Halliday Wine Companion:
Read the Decades winery profile

What happens when a love of wine turns into three vineyards, a restaurant and an entirely new way of thinking about the land?

In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, we’re joined by Pen Naish and Nicholas Brown of Black Estate, one of North Canterbury’s most distinctive family-owned wineries.

Pen and Nicholas took over Black Estate in 2007, but neither started out expecting to build a life in wine. Pen was working as a corporate lawyer, while Nicholas found his way into winemaking through wine retail, vineyard work and vintages across New Zealand, Italy and the Napa Valley.

Nearly two decades later, Black Estate encompasses three organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards plus a fourth leased site, a celebrated restaurant and cellar door, and a philosophy centred on expressing place as clearly as possible.

In this conversation, we explore the evolution of Black Estate, the people who influenced Nicholas’s approach to winemaking, and why North Canterbury has become such an exciting region for pinot noir, chardonnay and emerging varieties.

Nicholas explains the challenges of transitioning established vineyards away from conventional farming, from managing vine vigour and water to understanding what is really happening beneath the soil.

We also get into the role of native yeast, why vineyard biodiversity matters, the use of cattle and regenerative grazing, and how increasing organic matter can dramatically change the amount of water a vineyard can retain.

Then there’s chardonnay.

Despite pinot noir historically taking much of the spotlight in New Zealand’s South Island, Nicholas believes North Canterbury has the ingredients to produce exceptional chardonnay, with its cool nights, naturally low yields and remarkable mix of clay, gravel and limestone soils.

Pen and Nicholas also share what they’re experimenting with next, including chenin blanc, cabernet franc and a high-wire vineyard system designed to allow sheep to graze beneath the vines during the growing season.

A conversation about wine, farming, family and why some of the most interesting things happening in the vineyard start long before the grapes reach the winery.

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About the guests
Pen Naish is co-owner of Black Estate and leads the winery’s sales, marketing, restaurant and cellar door.
Nicholas Brown is Black Estate’s winemaker and leads its vineyard program. His career has included vintages in Marlborough, Italy and the Napa Valley before returning to North Canterbury.
Discover Black Estate:https://blackestate.co.nz/
Black Estate on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/blackestate/
Pen Naish – New Zealand Wine:https://www.nzwine.com/en/media/our-people/pen-naish/

Chapters
00:00 – The Black Estate story
03:28 – How Nicholas found winemaking
10:29 – Growing Black Estate
14:38 – Converting to biodynamic farming
18:17 – Native yeast and terroir
20:17 – The history of Netherwood vineyard
24:21 – Chenin blanc and cabernet franc
28:39 – Black Estate’s winemaking philosophy
30:02 – Frost and a changing climate
33:24 – Regenerative farming and soil health
38:12 – Why North Canterbury chardonnay stands out
42:11 – What varieties could be next?
43:45 – The future of Black Estate

Stephen Pannell is one of Australia’s most influential winemakers and a driving force behind the rise of modern McLaren Vale grenache.

In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, Steve shares how a childhood spent working in vineyards in Margaret River eventually led him to winemaking, despite his best efforts to avoid the family profession. From producing more than 200 million bottles of red wine at Hardys to rediscovering his creativity in Barolo, Steve explains how pinot noir and nebbiolo shaped his unique approach to grenache.

The conversation explores what makes McLaren Vale grenache so expressive, the importance of tannin, picking decisions and old-vine vineyards, and why great wine should reflect the land rather than the hand of the winemaker. Steve also takes us inside his Little Branch vineyard in Blewitt Springs, where century-old grenache vines produce his distinctly different Sunrise and Sunset wines.

Steve also discusses the restoration of his Koomilya vineyard, the inspiration behind his Halliday award-winning Mataro Rosé, and his mission to preserve the future of warm-climate Australian shiraz. He also makes a passionate case for taking rosé, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and merlot seriously, while encouraging wine drinkers to trust their own tastes.

As the Australian wine industry faces one of its most challenging periods, Steve reflects on why the country has never made better wine and considers the Mediterranean and Italian varieties that could define its future.

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Follow S.C. Pannell on Instagram
Explore S.C. Pannell wines: https://scpannell.com.au/

In this episode:
How Steve Pannell found his way into winemaking

The evolution of modern Australian grenache

What pinot noir and nebbiolo taught Steve about grenache

Why tannin is essential to the identity of red wine

The influence of soil, ironstone and the ocean in McLaren Vale

What makes Blewitt Springs such a distinctive grenache region

The story behind the century-old Little Branch vineyard

How Sunrise and Sunset grenache express two parts of the same site

Restoring biodiversity at the Koomilya vineyard

Why premium fruit is essential to serious rosé

Protecting the future of warm-climate Australian shiraz

Mediterranean grape varieties suited to Australia’s changing climate

Why wine drinkers should never feel intimidated by personal taste

Steve’s hopes for the future of Australian wine

Bruce Tyrrell AM has spent more than five decades shaping Australian wine. As the fourth generation of one of Australia’s oldest family-owned wineries, he has helped transform Tyrrell’s, champion Hunter Valley semillon around the world, and preserve some of Australia’s most important old-vine vineyards.

Fresh from being named the 2027 James Halliday Hall of Fame inductee, Bruce joins the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast to reflect on growing up at Tyrrell’s, joining the family business in 1974 and witnessing the evolution from fortified wine and manual vineyard work to modern winemaking.

Bruce shares the story behind Tyrrell’s iconic Vat 1 Semillon, including the secret decision to hold the wine back for five years despite the pressure it placed on the winery’s cash flow. He also explains why Hunter Valley semillon is unlike any other wine in the world, how screw caps changed wine quality, and what makes the Hunter Valley one of Australia’s most challenging regions for growing grapes.

The conversation also explores Tyrrell’s historic vineyards, including the 1908-planted HVD vineyard, and the Sacred Sites collection, along with the family succession plan involving Bruce’s children, Chris, John and Jane.

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In this episode:
Bruce’s earliest memories of growing up at Tyrrell’s

How a rugby injury led him back to the family winery

The evolution of Australian drinking and dining culture

Tyrrell’s role in producing Australia’s first commercial chardonnay

Why Bruce secretly stored Vat 1 Semillon to delay its release

How Hunter Valley semillon earned international recognition

The story behind Johnno’s Semillon and Tyrrell’s Sacred Sites

Why Tyrrell’s embraced screw caps

The challenges of making wine in the Hunter Valley

Bruce’s advice for Tyrell’s next generation

What comes next after more than 50 years in the wine industry

Explore Tyrrell’s Wines and discover more about the winery’s family history.

For more Australian wine stories, expert reviews and independent ratings, visit Halliday Wine Companion.

This podcast was recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge them as the enduring custodians of this Country and recognise their continuing cultural practices of caring for the land and waters. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We extend that respect to the Traditional Owners of the many lands across Australia and beyond whose wineries and stories we are privileged to share.

What really goes into reviewing thousands of Australian wines and selecting the very best for the Halliday Wine Companion?

To celebrate the release of the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion and the annual Halliday Awards, Halliday’s Head of Tasting and General Manager, Katrina Butler, takes us behind the scenes of Australia’s most comprehensive wine guide.

Katrina explains the wine submission process, how the Halliday Tasting Team assesses quality and maintains consistency, and why the reviews are written with everyday wine drinkers in mind.

The conversation also explores score inflation, the value of bronze-medal wines, and how to remain objective when wine tasting is inherently subjective. Katrina reveals how approximately 9000 wines are narrowed down for the Companion and how the country’s best bottles are selected through blind judging.

You’ll also hear how winners are chosen across categories including Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery and the James Halliday Hall of Fame.

Plus, Katrina and host Anna Webster discuss the current state of Australian wine, the growing diversity of grape varieties, the increasing prominence of women in wine and why the quality of Australian wine has never been stronger.

Halliday Wine Companion
Follow Halliday Wine Companion on Instagram
Follow Anna Webster on Instagram
Follow Katrina Butler on Instagram
Order the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion

In this episode:
How wineries can submit wines to Halliday Wine Companion

What Halliday’s critics look for when reviewing a wine

Blind tasting versus reviewing wines by producer

How critics manage palate fatigue

The difference between Halliday reviews and wine show judging

How a nine-person Tasting Team maintains consistent scores

Whether score inflation is affecting the 100-point wine system

Why bronze-medal wines deserve more recognition

How approximately 9000 wines are narrowed down for the Companion

How the annual Halliday Wine Companion Awards are judged

What makes a winery worthy of Winery of the Year

The strict criteria wines must meet to be inducted into the Halliday Hall of Fame

How climate change and market conditions are reshaping Australian wine

Why Australian wine belongs on the world stage

Whether you’re a winemaker considering submitting your wines, a collector searching for the best Australian bottles or simply curious about how wine scores and awards are determined, this episode offers a rare look inside the Halliday Wine Companion tasting and judging process.

This podcast was recorded on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge them as the enduring custodians of this Country, and we recognise their continuing cultural practices of caring for the land and waters. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

We extend that respect to the Traditional Owners of the many lands across Australia and beyond whose wineries and stories we are privileged to share.